ADA MP-1

Very simple interface; buttons inclued two gain settings, master volume, bass, treble, mid and presence, chorus depth and rate, midi channel, edit mode and save. Essentially a Marshall JCM preamp with membrane buttons instead of knobs and a MIDI save feature. Set your tone, hit 'save' on any of the 128 locations. Allows you to recall a saved setting through MIDI. Manual on line. Stock unit/replaced both 12ax7 tubes.

Good quality tube preamp with generous amount of distortion. Not a triple rectifier-type sound- has more clarity and midrange, however. Nice lead warmth and sustain. Can be noisy- recommend low gain settings or gate to tame. Chorus is broad and warm. Clean sounds ok - compressor pedal helps imo.

Bought new in '89. Unit tanked last year. Purchased replacement from ebay in March '09. Fairly reliable.

No customer support at presnet. ADA Depot website can provide resources to accomodate revisions/repairs etc. Not a techie so I don't bother futzing with it.

Play mostly rock- perfet match, very versatile in my setup. Used with Rocktron Intellifex, Hush through Peavey 50/50 tube power amp into 2x12 cab.
Would def replace with same unit. Comperable to Mesa Triaxis or Marshall JMP1. Excellent core tone for rackmount system. Highly recommended.

->How easy is it to get a good sound out of it?

It took me literally 5 minutes to figure out how this unit works, VERY SIMPLE!! If you can turn a light switch on and off then you can work this thing no problem. It's very easy to get a good sound.

->How about Editing patches?

As I said simplicity is this unit's forte. The things you can edit are: gain, bass, mid, treble and presence. You just press the up and down buttons to increase the value of your gain, EQ and presence and once you've finished tweaking, you press the 'Store' button then press any of the numbers from 1-9 to save the patch.

->How is the manual for it (if there is one)?

I didn't have to use a manual because I bought the unit second hand. However, should you need one, there are manuals online in pdf format, just search with google or visit www.adadepot.com which is a very good resource.

->Do you know the firmware revision number? Has your unit been upgraded?

I have the latest firmware for this unit, which is version 2.01. I haven't made any modifications to this unit, except a tube change because the old ones started to lose its tone. The unit sounds great with 2x high gain Harma DR270 7025 tubes.

->What setup (i.e. what guitars and amps) are you using this with?

My current rig is very simple:

Guitar: 1989 Charvel 650XL with EMG SA/SA/89 and EMG Afterburner
Preamp:ADA MP-1
Power amp: Marshall EL34 50/50
Cabinet: Marshall ModeFour MF400 angled

I am going to add a Lexicon MX200 and a BBE Sonic Maximizer 882i next month hopefully.

->Is it noisy? On what settings?

This unit can be a tad noisy at higher gain settings (I never go above 8.5 on gain 1 and 2).

->Can you get the sound of your favorite artists? Who are they?

ABSOLUTELY!! I can nail Alex Skolnick's tone (lead guitarist from Tstament) He used an ADA MP-1 in the late 80s.

Here's my favourite bit: The 'Depth' button is just wonderful, I find it makes my distorted tones fill up the whole room and larger than life, think of a fully cranked JCM 800 but with more gain and balls, so BRUTAL! The sound has a 'nasal' quality to it which I find very pleasant, that's the best description I could give, I can't find anymore words to describe how AMAZING this unit sounds! The combination of this preamp, Marshall EL34 50/50 and the ModeFour cabinet is a match made in heaven.

I can get a sparkling clean tone and when the afterburner is in the on position it's incredible how clear and bell-like the tone is! There is a 'voicing' button which switches between 'tube' clean and 'Solid State' clean. The SS option gives you a very clean sound but I prefer the tube voicing because it sounds thicker.

And with the tube distortion the notes ring forever. My guitar is neck-through so it might help a bit with the sustain but I also have a bolt-on Jackson Warrior as my backup guitar with Seymour Duncans and even that guitar sustains for a looooooonnnggg time when plugged through the ADA MP-1.

->Are certain effects (distortion, chorus, ...) very good? Very bad?

The distortion is excellent but I wish the bottom end would be a little tighter, like the distortion you get from an Engl Powerball which is why I'm giving this a 9. Maybe if I used a different cab the bottom end would sound tighter. Some people say the ADA MP-1 sounds tinny and lacks bass, I beg to differ, I think with my current rig there is plenty of mids and low end. Each note will cut through anything without being too shrill. Neck pickup tone is well rounded and warm.

The Chorus is definitely a plus point for this unit. Not the best, but it's good enough for me. I only have a mono cabinet, so I am not using this effect to its full potential. However I have used this unit with a stereo cabinet and the chorus sounds very nice in stereo.

->Can you depend on it?

This unit must be over 19 years old! and it's still working which is a testament to the build quality. My friend knocked this unit from the top of my cabinet and I thought that was the end of it because it was coupled with my 22kg power amp in the rack case and landed upside down with the heavy mofo poweramp on top of it. I plugged my guitar in and the unit still works, it's a hard SOB to kill. Very reliable.

->Would you use it on a gig without a backup?

Yes, but I would carry a spare set of tubes.

ADA went bankrupt ages ago so the only form of customer service would come from ADA Depot. I haven't dealt with ADA Depot because I haven't had any issues with this unit so I cannot comment on the customer service. Having visited the ADA Depot website and its affiliates, there is an enormous amount of information on this unit.

->What style of music do you play? Is this a good match?

I play anything from 80s thrash (e.g. Testament, Exodus), prog metal (e.g. Symphony X), Death Metal (e.g. Deicide, Origin, Cannibal Corpse) and instrumental stuff (e.g. George Lynch, Tony Macalpine, Paul Gilbert/Racer X) and I can say that the ADA MP-1 is versatile enough to get the right tones for these genres.

->How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?

I have been playing guitar for 8 years. I'm not rich enough to have owned all those expensive top of the range equipment e.g. Mesa Boogies, Engls, VHTs etc but so far, my current rig is the best I've owned. I used to have a Marshall JCM 900 which is a fairly decent amp and compared to that, the ADA MP-1 simply blows it away.

->If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?

If my ADA MP-1 were stolen I'd track down the thief, beat him up, put his head in a vice and slowly tighten it until the head gets crushed. I would then chop up the body into tiny pieces and get a hungry dog to eat the remains. That way, the thief will end up (deservedly) as dog excrement. I would search eBay for another one if It were stolen or lost. They appear every now and again at very reasonable prices.

The handling in the most instances is self explanatory. For all other instances there is the manual. It is helpful at all.

I have TAD 7025 Tubes inside. The Sound is amazing. The possibilities in sound creation are enormous. Nice transistor Clean, warm Blues Sounds until straight Metal and all in between. With this Tubes there is enough reserve, even at High Gain. The Stereo Chorus sound great, too. I use it with a Inellifex and a Marshall poweramp and HK4x12. There is a lot of noise, even with the low noise mod from adadepot so a noisegate is advisable. This is the reason for the 9.

It was the first midiable tube preamp... of course there are some troubles with it. The weak sound after longer playing (thermal problem). The noise at all. The front jack??? but it still works and sounds great. Fortunately there is ADADEPOT.COM where you can get help.

There is no more official customer support. But there is adadepot.com where you can get great modifications and helpful increments. You will never get that from a official customer support!

Amazing piece of gear

The MP1 is very easy to use for me.I don`t like the factory presets at all.The EQ is top and I like the early Marshall-sound on stereoids.
I have new 12AX7 Groove tubes.I like the gain very much.

I play 80-metal.I`m playing custom AS guitars(my art work)- with Seymour Duncan JB-s /Charvels from 86 with EMG-s/, MOD. Marshall 800 EL 34 Groove tubes / Hand made Tubetec 50/50 W Power Amp( Sovtek 6551 valves)/Rocktron Intellifex-on line/Rivera 4x12 with Celestion Vintage 30/.The sound is incredible from clean to ful driven overdrive.
I have mod. on my MP1.I have two distortions:-one is "regular"-distortion tube and one is
Clean distortion on stereoids.These second sound is more Mesa-stile.
I bought these ADA-MP1 in 1989.

All O.K in 20 years.

Ok, ok, ok... So, it's 2008 and I am writting a review on a piece of equipment that was built in the early 90's. When asked, "ease of use", I gave it a "9". It's pretty easy to use (even without a manual). I won't lie, it does take a few hours or so to finally master it.

A TRUE AUDIOPHILE'S DREAM!

HA! This is the money maker! Dude! I've been playing for years. I've had plenty of experience with all sorts of effects. Let me get to the point. If you want something that sounds great when you are alone at home, this might not be the unit for you. I suggest a Line 6 product. But if you want something that will rock the crap out of your speakers... ADA's MP1 is the key to OUSTANDING sound. THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE!

I figure that by the time the secrect gets out, these bad-boys will go up in price! But, hey! I've got mine... where's yours?

If you're in a band a

BING-BANG-BOOM! It's still works?

I have totally trashed my MP1. I mean, Hell, I don't have a case for this thing. I usually place my unit on top of my amp. Ever so often, I get to jammin' pretty hard that the vibrations from the amp pushes it right off. All the sudden... CRASH! It's laying on the floor. But to my surprise, the SOB is still working.

Terrible... They are out of business (I'm sure). But there's websites like ADADEPOT.COM that can help you get what you need.

EXCELLENT

If you're a seasoned Rock/Metal guitarist and you are still looking for that tone that cuts through all the noise, trust me, ADA's MP1 is for you. It's raw power will make you a fan the minute you sit back and actually listen to what is truly being projected.

ON ANOTHER NOTE... If my review has actually inspired you to buy this unit or you're a ADA MP1 owner yourself, send me an email and I'll send you my personalized settings. You won't be dissapointed.

The MP-1 is easy enough to use, making quick on the spot changes can be a little annoying especially when you forget to save them or accidently write over an old patch... =/

It's important to remember that when starting with an amp, don't just go hell for leather with the EQ etc. The EQ section on this pre is quite interactive so starting on 0 with all the settings EQ wise is a good idea.

It's easy to get a good sound and great sounds are easy to get, the way I run it, it sounds amazing.

I A/B this into the back of my ENGL powerball for my lead tone:

ENGL Powerball < ISP DECIMATOR <
+ <A/B<MXR phase 90<Budda Wah
MP1 > Rocktron Hush>Boss DD-6>LOOP RETURN<

I use Jackson/Kramer/Ibanez guitars with Dimarzio Pickups. Gotta love 'em!

I run it with a little higher gain, than my rhythm tone... the sustain on the MP-1 is lovely, very silky.. very syrupy... Its a very warm tone. Settings wise I keep the Bass on either 9 or 12 depending on the venue. Mid range is set to about 6-8, treble on 2 and the presence on 12, it's a great smooth lead tone ephasised by a Delay before it goes into the loop. It means that I can have a cutting rhythm tone without having a horrid, brittle lead tone that I hear so much these days... you know the one... the ear bleeding, dog upsetting, wine glass shattering one.

It sounded great in a Rack with my Brunetti Power amp but I love using it like this, big win for the lead tones.

Some of the best ive ever heard from a unit that costs 1/10th of everything else (well, it did when I got mine) and considering it's age... and the amount of mods to it, well. You just can't argue with that

arrived at a venue...
MP-1 falls out the back our van...
Tube busted...
found my spare pair of tubes...
put them in...
sounded great...

thats about it really.


it's pretty rugged!

As they don't exist anymore... ADA DEPOT.com is the only place to go and in some ways they're even better than customer service!

Quicker to help anyway

I play death metal, extreme death metal I suppose. It works very nicely... I have a good selection of gear as well, Marshall's ENGL's, Oranges etc and this is my lead tone of choice!

If it were stolen, id definately get another one... im looking for another one for home use (mines always in storage because were normally on the road) they're getting expensive now though!


BUY ONE!!

The MP1 is quite easy to get a good sound out of, however... it can take a while to get used to saving patches. Also, without the switching system - MC-1, it can be very hard to use live!

Other than that, nearly every tone on this is fantastic and easy to get too.

However the ADA Depot really is an incredible resource! A must!

WHOA! Working alongside the ADA-Depot you have ready access to hundreds of patches. When I got this unit I used the patches on the site and then created my own tones from them! What a great resource!

The chorus is a nice touch and is lovely and warm, perfect for adding flavor to your lead tones!

I have no idea why people would want to add more gain to this, it's got ott gain for me! I usually keep the OD1 up to about 5-7, and OD2 down to about 3-5. That gives me the cut I need. Also, I would describe the MP-1 as having two different hi-gain personalities. With the mids run low and the presence Hi, it's very old school. But with the mids cranked a little and the presence lowered a touch then you've got a very modern sound but with a vintage sensibility... the notes sustain for ever!

My favorite aspect of the MP-1 is the attack, and the punchy quality of the notes for lead playing. In fact, thats what I use it for - my lead work in thrash/death metal bands.

I run the MP-1 out in the return of my ENGL Powerball's FX loop, then I run the send of my Powerball's FX loop back into the receive of my MP-1's fx loop. I run both inputs into an A/B selector and as such I can switch between the Powerball and the MP-1 for rhythm and lead tones respectively.

It's quite noisy, but then again most hi gain amp's are. I have an ISP Decimator in the chain so that cuts down on the noise a bit.


another great aspect of this unit is when you select the clean tube, and crank the gain... then boost it with an SD-1 you can really get the brown tone!!!!!!


The solid state clean sound is so pure, we used it exclusively on our album - simply because it sounded a world apart from the ENGL's clean tone... which was also great it's just in the mix, the ADA sounded so much better!

I would depend on this amp, simply because if it fucks up... you can fix it yourself pretty much!

ADA Depot are super stars...
everything I ever wanted to know was answered and then some!


++++100 great stuff

I got this unit for ??20 on eBay because it had no plug... silly buggers. What a steal!

I play metal... death metal, thrash metal whatever... i demand clarity; and this MP-1 gives me that... but with character! The other guitarist in my band wants one now!

I've been playing for 9 years now and I have owned numerous amps (Mesa's, Marshall, Fender, Line 6, Behringer V-amp Pro's etc) and have stuck with ENGL's... but now i've got the icing on my ENGL cake. What a great tone!


If it were stolen then i'd find the person that stole it! And grab it back!


It's a great piece of kit just to have in your arsenal... so many tones!

Very easy to use and is structured very logically. The factory presets were not on mine originally but I reprogrammed them in just to get the feel of the unit. Next you'll find you want/need different tones and off you go..
I've found that with the 128 presets available I have only managed to fill 26 so I know I will never be able to run out of possibilities. Editing the patches is extremely simple and even if you spend a couple minutes playing with the MP-1 you'll find you don't even need to reference the manual (If you do ADAdepot.com can hook you up)

My current setup: Washburn X81FaceEraser: Maxon OD-9: BBE Sonic Stomp: Boss NS-2: Furman PL-8 II: ADA MP-1 Pre Amp: Peavey Classic 50/50 Power Amp: Avatar 2x12

Amazing sound quality if you know your target sound already. Cleans are very nice for the jazz stuff I play as well as any other style. The distortion is extremely versatile. I can use it for my thrash/ metal rthym tones for stuff like Testament, Shadows Fall, etc. as well as for an amazing lead tone for Alex Skolnick/ Paul Gilbert/Rusty Cooley/Randy Rhoads style solos. In my personal experience I have found that I have wanted more gain at times so I simply boost the MP-1 with my Maxon OD-9 for an incredible sound. The MP-1 gives off some noise but I plan on getting a Hush soon for it, nothing major though. I have two JJ ECC803S's loaded in it and it sounds awesome.

I have had it for a couple of months with no problems. The wiring/circuit is very simple and uncluttered so I could probably fix problems that might come up. Have gigged without a backup. You buy this preamp knowing that it is around 15+ years old so expect things that come with its age, so far so good.

ADAdepot.com for everything you will ever need

I play mostly metal and shred type stuff but also some jazz thrown in as well. The ADA MP-1 works perfectly for every tone I ever need. If it were stolen I would definitely buy another one although the prices of these units has been on the rise. I definitely recommend it to anyone that desires a solid all around tone.

Well, I finally broke down and got one of these things (a month ago, but I wanted time with it before pitching my $.02 in, adjusted for cost-of-living increases...). Why did I wait so long to get one?

This v. 2.01 unit came from its previous owner with 2 JJ tubes and 3 scratchy pots. One of these things I fixed ;-). This thing is so easy to use (used an ADA delay before, Back In The Day, mebe this helped?), that...well, it's easier than my Digitech Twin Tube, which is really easy! It's easier than a seething nympho in a room full of TAG-soaked stud-puppies! Easier than an STD to catch at Spring Break at Daytona Beach! Show us yer..."easy, there, big fella!" Yep, it's so simple, even I don't need a steenkin' manual...got one from ADA Depot anyway, not that I really needed it...

It's likewise really simple to wangle good tones from, if you know what to do and have the right tubes!

This little widget is remarkably versatile. Despite its age and generation-or-so-ago-hair-metal-sound "stigma" (the only people who slag 70s and 80s music are apparently people who know only three root position chords and have zero concept of melodic arrangements!), it cranketh! Many newer amp modelers strive for tones this thing does with the real deal! The distortion, chorus are very good, thank you! The clean tones are pretty good, too! No wonder these things have achieved some underground cult status!

All this said, aside from the pot cleaning ("no stems, no seeds..."), I had to take out one JJ and replace it with a high-gain Shuguang (marked "Marshall": it came from my JTM 60 combo, where it was basically wasting its potential...) in order to get "THE SOUND". I swapped many tubes in and out before deciding on the Dynamic Duo---turns out I could've left one of 'em right where it was! As an aside: I really like JJ tubes. But let me say this: no brand of tubes sounds unconditionally bad or good. Every JJ won't sound good, just like every Sovtek WA won't sound bad (just MOST of 'em! ;-) ). Perish the thought of even finding two tubes that sound exactly alike under all circumstances! It's pretty much a "per application" affair, where the tube's "character" either fits the sound you want from your setup, or...NOT! The blend between *these particular* JJ and Shuguang tubes in *this preamp* sounds great to me! I can get almost Fendery clean tube, Marshally crunch, and Mesa raunch with a little dialing-in of gain/EQ, and ba-da-bing, dere it is! So if anyone isn't happy with the tone of their amp, I've said it for years, and I'm hardly the first or last: try some different t00bz!

No Sovtek tube I tried (WA, WB, WXT+, LPS) in either socket fit what I was trying to accomplish, even with much mid-scoopage, and the hit/miss ratio was better with my JJ and NOS stash than with the Shuguang pile. But THAT ONE Shuguang and THAT ONE JJ together...like Bogie & Bacall, Fred & Ginger, Batman & Robin, Penn & Teller (or Bush & Cheney for all the demented fans of "How We Completely Bankrupted America, Inc.", starring the Big Oil 'N' Pharma Gouge R U$ $i$ter$ and HallibuDubai, or Rove & Gonzales AKA Goebbels and Goering in "New Toilet Paper, Formerly US Constitution, Nice Oily Feel as it Wipes You Clean"...but enough of wishing for the days of the Stained Blue Dress "simplicity" when all we had to worry about was being sold out to the Chinese by Bill, Hill, and Al About Me's Big Inconveniently "Liberal" Adventure!). This preamp sounds MUCH better than the forecasted future the past few administrations have precipitated upon we poor shmoes who are still overpaying for it, and will be for several generations!

High-gain settings are Hush Central. Good thing I have one! And when rolling the volume back all the way with hi-test, it's a little white-noisey. This may be fixed when I go poking at its guts, but the Hush works for now.

You DO need outboard effects if you're actually using this thing in public. And the aforementioned noise gate. It ain't just a hair-metal preamp, either. You can shred with it, too! ("We have Both Kinds of music here: Country AND Western!") I felt a little Nuno-ish dialling this in with "Get The Funk Out"! Really, you can play blues thru it too, or pop, or grunge, or Stevie Ray, Eddie, Satch, Angus, Vito Bratta, Paul Gilbert, Kirk Hammett (his tone needs help), Dave Grohl, Runs 'n' Noses with Buckethead or Slash, the RHCP, Dreadful Grapes, Santana, Bob Marley, the Beatles, SOAD, yourself, or whatever you feel like! Its reputation does its versatility not much justice. In fact, a buddy who plays Phish-type stuff and poppy originals (and some metal too) etc. in a really good working band has used one for quite some time! But mine sounds better! Neener, neener, neener! :PpPp

It likes tube power amps. Doesn't everybody? No? Well, fukkem! Does ok with solid-state at the expense of a little warmth and character.

It must be dependable, it's still alive! All the switches, etc. still work! But I wouldn't think of not having a backup! Nope, not me!

Support? BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Sorry, dunno what came over me! Dunno why ADA folded, either, and I'm formerly from their home state! There's ADA Depot, which goes above and beyond The Call, and now I have schematics, explicit mod pr0n, etc., muhahahahahaaaaa! So it might get the noise mod, and a little more gain, or the 3TM if I feel particularly gain-deficient, which hasn't happened yet, because I could just use a different preamp...

This rating is for ADA Depot, and all those folks there who work on Making It Happen!

I play anything and everything but gangsta rap, and this thing, like the rest of the rack preamps I play with, will cover just about all of it with a thick coat of gravy and a side-order of home-fries! What it lacks in onboard effects and frills, it comps for with a diverse and useful bedrock of raw tone! Besides, I have outboard effects and then some! I don't have to worry too much about theft where I live now (Maine), an' besides, ayup, we shewt people up heah for that, and th' beahs an' lobstahs eat th' evvy-dense ;-)! I could compare it to the other preamps I play thru; it holds its own well. My favorite feature is the tonal versatility one can achieve thru this thing with not much effort...that's the name of the game for why I use it! I got it because I've wanted one for awhile, and delayed gratification SUCKS! So, it's in a rack, and being worked, and we're all happy, and it's all good! YAAY! Now I go out to plant some maples and do some welding...

tHIS UNIT IS EASY TO USE,EDITING is a breeze.the manual covers all you need to know. mine uses 2.0 software? other than that it is stock.

This unit is very versitile, from blues to country,jazz,to rock it does it all!The SS clean channel is my favorite clen sound. as the clean tube channel breaks up early. but is great for bluesy, edgey in between sounds. The distorted tube channel has a nice fat tube, toneful sound, that gets peoples attention when i play out.The chourus is OK but not the ultimate.I play this unit through either a Line6 Flexton3amp w/ ext cab, or my carvin x100b amp w/4x12 cab, either one will rip your face off if turned up enough!I play a Parker nitefly guitar which the MP-1 just loves. Very tonefull combination.

I have had no problems with the MP-1, except a input jack,which I replaced.

no contact with ADA

I play classic rock,motown,blues,and some jazz.The MP-1 covers them all. I;ve been playing for 32 years and own several amps and guitars.I love it;s tone ,ease of use, low price, and all around versitility.THE TUBES CAN MAKE OR BREAK THIS UNIT, so try differnt ones!It;s a little noisy at high gain settings, but what amp isn;t Some delay would be nice but it;s only a pre amp not an amp.

Version 2.01, no top slide switch, UN-MODDED


I own a Mesa Triaxis and this thing is 95% as good for its tone IMHO and without having to sell your house to buy it.Being an older midi preamp it doesnt have real time CC's feature

I like how the EQ is POST disortion (unlike triaxis) and this lets me dial in a tone in a more 'traditional way' a LOT quicker.

The manual is easy to follow.

I actually get a better clean on this than my triaxis and it literally cost me 10 times LESS!! I bought the MP1 in out of frustration as the Triaxis was seemingly impossible to get me dream tone, ultimately it is getting there and in time it will but the MP1 is certainly not 10 times less in the sound dept even in stock trim, the mods guys do on these for more gain must make them friggin tone monsters!!!!


Editing patches is a breeze - I got my head around this quickly and was cranking out killer tones under an hour. I don???t think the presets do this thing justice though so start with a factory preset and tweak away!

Some reviewers wanted more gain and I guess I could see what they mean but I am happy as I don???t wash my tones away with too much gain anyway but do find myself at the higher end of the gain settings for some lead patches. ADA DEPOT is the place to check out all the great mods available for this to increase gain and reduce noise. On that note, the MP1's are known to be noisy on high gain settings but I use the gate on a G-Major to kill it.

I use this in a rack setup: G-major > Marshall 9200 > Mesa 4*12 traditional cab all controlled by a Behringer FCB 1010 foot controller......... SIMPLE

I play an Ibanez JEM and a Yamaha RGX - both with medium/high output Dimarzios (evo's, steve special and airnorton)

Built in chorus is OK

The VOICING feature allows you to use a solid state, clean or dirty tube in your signal path giving you more variation in tone (download and read a PDF manual on this!)

Headphone out sounds awefull to me so I use a Behringer ULTRA DI from the 'outs' for direct monitoring and recording ideas only

Man its lasted this long with who knows how many previous owners and its still going! There seems to be enough support out there on forums etc for advice when things 'go bad'


I dont use a backup

ADA DEPOT is the only support now as ADA has gone bust. Online community is awesome considering how old these are getting now, there are SO MANY guros out there willing to help where they can. There are HEAPS of posts/threads out there with an answer to your exact question

Been playing 16 yrs. Have used a fair amount of gear over the years but not as many as some - I generally research/test something in depth and stick with it for a while. I mainly would use a head setup with stomp boxes or a boss GT6 but recently moved in racks to avoid tap dancing on a million pedals.

If I could find another one I would replace if stolen

Nothing I hate - for a live band situation I just LOVE the simplicity of an 'old school' VAVLE preamp using digital technology to OPERATE - not be included in the signal chain as such like other preamp modellers


If you have the chance to try/ buy one of these just do it, if you dont like it there a plenty of ppl now wanting these you can sell to.

2.1 firmware. Not upgraded, but does have brand new JJ 12AX7 tubes. This thing is really easy to edit, and gets easier the more you play with it. The tone is absolutely surprising, and the variations in the gain settings are right on the mark.

Here is where this thing shines: The distortion tone is over the top, and because of the OD1 and OD2 valve gain blending, it's easy to make minor adjustments and smooth out the tone. I mostly play rock from 70's all the way to 2006 stuff, and do lots of clean, dirty, semi dirty, or heavy Metallica tone music. I'm playing vintage Les Pauls > ADA MP1 > TC G-Major > Boogie 20/20 Power Amp > 2 x Marshall 1936 cabs each with 2 x 12 celestions (vintage 30's in one, GT75's in the other). This combination is incredible, and the versatility of the ADA taking my tone from clean, to dirty, to raunchy, to smooth sizzle is totally inspiring. I've been playing for over 30 years, and haved owned (and still own) many Boogies, Marshalls, Fenders, and other assorted fun stuff. This preamp still holds its own almost 20 years after it was built. My only slight misgiving is that the clean tube sound is missing a little punch, but this is probably nothing that a BBE wouldn't fix, so this only gets a 9.

Ok, I just bought it over the Internet, but it was built in the 1980's?! I think it was either on a shelf for the last 19 years or else its built like a tank. I'm going with the latter and betting it's reliable.

ADAdepot.com. That's all there is now.

OMG!! For the price, you can't go wrong. Full stereo capability, 2 x 12AX7 analog signal path with MIDI switching, onboard chorus if you need it, more than enough presets, and all for under $300?? This baby gets a 9, and would get a 9.5 if they would let me.

Hands down the easiest unit to use and if you need a manual to figure it out, maybe rack gear just isn't for you.
I've got 2 units with one being version 1 and the other version 2

I have been very fortunate to get both my ADA's to sound very crisp, clean and NO NOISE.
Chain of events
ADA-
Effects loop-Alesis quadraverb (for more eq and effects) BBE Sonic Maximizer- Focusrite Trackmaster
and finally into the monster Peavey Classic 120/120 stereo tube poweramp
I use a Peavey (all metal) foot controller. I've dropped it from a balcony and it still works perfect!!

Nothing has gone wrong with my ADA's

If you want to hear an example of what this gear sounds like checkout Tractor at http://www.brutalmusic.com
We did the whole demo with one Adat and a few transfers

For reference I am comparing this MP-1 with a Marshall JMP-1 a Digiteck GSP 21 and 2101 and a Digitech/Hafler T3. The MP-1 I have is version 2. I got it used and it had EH tubes in it and I also put some GT Mullard reissues in it as well. Swapping the tubes from EH to the GT's did give a very little improvement in the noise and a little more tone. The MP-1 does have a bit of noise but nothing much more than any tube gear if you crank the gain too much. When I plugged in for the first time I heard many tones that were familliar. Obviously in the 80's some big name players have used this preamp. I believe if the JMP-1 was out during that time we would have heard that on some of those big name records instead. The MP-1 is a decent sounding pre and does offer a lot of tweaking ability. Definitely a lot of useful tones in the box. The gain structure of the MP-1 really reminds me of my old Digitech GSP 2101. I highly suspect that Digitech based their GSP 2101 tube preamp design on the MP-1. If you are a GSP 2101 user and are looking for something different, I wouldn't suggest the MP-1 as it is just so close in sound. It's probably not fair to compare the MP-1 with the Marshall JMP-1 since they don't make the ADA's any more and the JMP-1 cost much much more but I will. The JMP-1 is a lot easier to program. You just hit the button for "gain" "volume" "bass" etc then twist the data knob. The MP-1 you have to keep hitting the up and down buttons, gets annoying after a while. I find the chorus on the MP-1 usefull but, most players wouldn't be happy with just chorus and no reverb or delay so the ADA will lead you to searching for an FX processor anyway. For clean tones the ADA and JMP-1 come pretty close. For distorted tones the the BIG winner here is the Marshall JMP-1. The JMP-1 has more of a complex gain structure and can be much smoother and much more aggressive as well. If you like the Marshall sounds the ADA can get you in the ball park but the JMP-1 will hit the home run for sure. If you are more of a lead player you may find the MP-1 more to your liking than the JMP-1. The ADA has more single note definition which would work better in a live situation over the JMP-1. As for distorted bottom end tones the ADA is muddier in the lower tones than the Marshall. I find it harder trying to get a good bottom end chunky tone on the MP-1 as compared to the Marshall, which is very easy to get those chunky tones. So my general comments would be this: If you are comparing the ADA MP-1 to the Digitech GSP 2101, I would suggest go for the MP-1 only if you are a lead player and want more single note definition. Rhythm players would probably be best with the Digitech since it has much more effects to play with. If you need a preamp for studio work, hands down the Marshall JMP-1 is the winner.

I am using this several ways, mainly as a tube driver into old marshall four input JMPs. I tried it in the JCM 800 and it didn't like it. I used to use an old mashall tube power amp, 9005, and it did sound good, but I missed the old marshall heads. Now, this thing sounds unbelievable through the front a the old marshalls, which are generally clean at moderate settings. It funcitons as a chandler tube driver would, in fact, it has the same type of transformer as the chandler tube driver without the wallwart, or the same transformer as the valver driver of today. sounds freakin' sweet, without the muffly sound of the hot tonebone british pedal (which is pretty good, too). This is like having a progamable chandler tube driver!!!

Well, after 15 years of marshall and fender amps, i dug back to the old ADA MP 1, got it on ebay for cheap!! couldn't resist. It is the model with the top line level switch. Clean and sturdy, plenty of eq and chorus. No other effects, so it gets a good features rating, not great.

15 years old and still functioning, put some new caps and tubes in there and I presume it will last a lifetime!!

ADAdepot.com this site saves the day!!!

I have to rate it high, because it works with the power amps quite well, and it rips with old marshall heads !! The price paid alone is worth trying it out, just for fun!!! This is our future plexis!! Some day they will fetch $1,000US, trust me!!

I use a peavey Wolfgang and a Musicman Van halen in addition to my sons fender mini strat for guitars. All have Dimarzio pickups which I love. Not too noisy for such a high gain device. Here you go, I can get just about any guitar sound you can imagine from this great preamp. Marshall, fender, boogie, you name it, it will get it. How brutal is the distortion? Has as much or more gain available than my 5150's and all Marshalls or boogies I have tried. The extremely high priced boutique amps are the only ones that will give you more usable gain. But they cost between 10 to 25 times more!!!!!! very high variety of sounds for a small amount of money.

I believe the unit is an early 90's unit. Extremly versatile for all of the music that I play which spans from classical, to jazz, to country and blues to my favorite, shredding metal. 128 different programmable presets, What more do you need? Like having 128 different amps at your disposal. Has all the features that I want and need. I use it for practice, recording and gigging. Stereo chorus sounds great through my stereo power amps and the two 5150's that I run it through.

Must be 15 years old and has never failed me

None from the original ADA. ADA depot is the next best thing.

Been playing 25+ years. Have done it all. Sex, drugs and rock n roll. More gigs than I could ever count. I would buy it again if lost or stolen. I love the simplicity of the unit and the uncluttered sound that it puts out. For me , no effects needed or wanted. just pure tone. Iv'e played dry with no effects for 90% of my career and will always use minimal effects. you don't need them with this unit. Just plenty of volume and speakers to push it. This unit compares easily to more expensive preamps of which I have owned four. A rocktron pihrana, Marshall jmp-1, Mesa triaxis, and a hafler triple giant. The mp-1 sounds better than all of them except for the Triaxis. Again the triaxis did sound better but not $1,000 better. The ADA is about 85-90% there when compared to that unit and $900.00 dollars cheaper! Great unit!

This rack is very easy of use for me.and i like this.

My guitar rig
Guitar : Ibanez RGT42 (birdge>Dimarzio super dist. dp-100 neck>inf2)
Amp: Marshall VS230 (2x30w solid state stereo chorus amp)
Racks:ADA MP-1 loop in Boss Gx700 (i use gx700 for cab.sim)
Midi:Behringer FCB1010

I love this gear's sound quality.And i like 80's.i play rock-blues-funk etc..

i plays generally rock style,this gear give to what i want.hard,warm,crunch, hi-gain tones. cool stuff!

Very easy. You just have to remember to hit the right patch button
when storing.

The ADA is very versatile. The sound quality depends (among other
things) on the tubes you use. I use OLD Groove Tubes (svetlana)
or Telefunkens in this and you can dial in alot of very sweet tones.
New tube types DO NOT sound right in this pre-amp.
I play jazz/blues fusion country and rock.

Except for the dumb-ass plastic 1/4" jacks - it's performed pretty
well.

nada

Jazz, blues, country, etc...
I'd get another one.

Very easy to use, not too many features, just how i like it! od1, od2, gain, presence, effects loop, chorus depth/rate, edit and store functions. Manual is straight foward and easy to read. Editing patches is fast and couldnt be easier! The software is upgradable so make sure you have the right manual.

My setup is currently kinda shady, Fender strat>lace sensor pickups>fender twin reverb. Looking to get a proper power amp in the near future. The ada is a abit noisy however its barable. The amp features one affect which is analog chorus and an amazing chorus at that. The cleans on this amp are SWEET! I would put one of these up solelyfor the clean and lead tones...i just got this thing and am still tweaking my rythm sound which is the hardest thing imo to get out of this amp...very easy to get cleans and heavy leads though! for 168 bucks you arent gonna find sound like this at that price anywhere else! I find it easy to get sounds of my favorite artists, smashing pumkins (gish), nirvana, metallica, thrash metal...

the things gotta be like 15 years old and it sings

I play alternative rock and i love this amp. Sets me apart from everyone elses generic tone! (seems like everyone sounds the same these days)...if it were stolen id have to hunt dont the mother and beat his ass down...but i would buy another at this price...ill never sell it...its good enough to keep forever even if i get something better (hopefully jmp-1 soon)...

This preamp was made in the early 90s, it is versatile in that you can get a very wide range of tones. No on board processing, aside from preamplification, except for a chorus, which is weak.

People buy preamps because of tone, that's really the only justification for them. Few would buy such a unit simply because it has an effects loop.

Ok, tone...

No one can describe in words a guitar amplifier's tone.

Can't be done. It's very much like trying to describe a wine on paper and expect someone to know from that whether or not he will like it.

I have been using this unit for over 10 years with zero problems. I don't abuse things so maybe that is part of the secret to its longevity.

This unit replaced a Marshall JCM 800 because I wanted something rackmountable and more configurable. The best way to audition a preamp is with a solid state power amp, duh, you don't want to add anything along the way to color the sound any more than the preamp is already doing.

I own a small recording studio, so I have a lot of good solid state amps and have found the MP1 to be just about the best compromise in getting both clean and distorted tones.

I mainly these days play Jackson Pro Soloist guitars both American and Japanese models.

I can get a killer clean tone with the pickup selector switch fully forward and the last tone nob turned fully counter clockwise, using the solid state voicing. I add some reverb via an old Yamaha Rev7, pretty much a classic studio effects processor, very retro as these things go.

Did I mention that this sound is killer? Beautiful highs but not harsh, lots of depth and still enough complexity to have some sustain when doing fast soloing type thingies. Also very clean chord sounds not mushy, all notes defined.

Distortion is harder to dial in, the people who said you need the manual are half right, you do need it but you also have to understand the basics of EQ and how sounds are created via that technique.

If you are a brute who thinks, hell just turn everything to 11, this aint the rig for you. But if you work with this unit it will give you some very cool lead tones and cool rhythm tones.

I kinda like rolled out, some call is scooped, mids. Guitars have lotsa mids anyway so you really don't need to augment them in your amp, unless that floats your boat.

One disadvantage is that the unit is noisy on very high gain settings, there are two pre amp settings and if you are running both of them at 10 well its gonna be hissy, but that can be fixed with a lot of products and those who are serious know what these products are, if not ask around.

The kind of sounds I like run from mid period stones through DammajPlan. With the MP1 you can dial in Clapton, Schencker, Page and from there go to Yngwie and all the way to Pantera type stuff.

The only secret is to work with every setting and then with your guitar's nobs [that's what they are there for anyway] and finally your power amp.

When you add a tube power amp there is nothing you cant do with something like an MP1, some people diss them but my guess is that those people havent taken the time to work with all the components in your amplification circuit, preamp, line effects, guitar settings and power amp.

Here's a cool rhythm patch that also works for bluesy type Clapton Creem era stuff.

Both pre amps at 6, mast vol at 7, bass at 4, mids -12, treble 0, presence 2, voicing tube distortion, not the clean setting.

Now a little trick is working with output volumes, make sure you play with this cause you want the unit to be working with a full head of steam so around the 12 o'clock position works well and that way you are sending a strong signal.

Believe it or not for practice I sometimes grab a studio headphone distribution amplifier, which has probably 5 watts RMS per channel x 6 channels and use two of them to run the MP1 in stereo.

Trust me, there is enough power in such a small package to drive 2 Marshall 4x12 cabs to reasonable levels, with 25 watt speakers.

There are always sweet spots where everything just comes together and you have to look for those.

I guess what I am saying is that much of the tone you get from amps, if they are ANY good at all depends on setting them up. Maybe some are easier to set up than others and thats why they like them.

The only thing you really wont get totally is that Pentode type Boogie saturation, which is understandable simply because the Boogie amplification circuit is a little more sophisticated. Sophisticated aint necessarily better, mind you its just more complex.

For my money Boogie stuff is built kinda poorly, especially considering the price, $1500 bucks for a combo type amp seems high to me, but then thats probably just me, but Ive seen some horrors inside Boogie amps and some poor design, but a lot of people like em, so there.

What else?

I dunno, except that when you can buy a unit like this on Ebay for like 200 bucks I say give it a try, you can always sell it for about the same price.

Oh, one more thing, since this is after all a preamp, tubes are important. If you play a lot or for long times or like me sometimes leave a unit on for like two days...uh tubes will wear out.

Go for high output 12AXs. I have used Sovtecs, Groove Tubes, GTs etc all with good results.

If the sound starts getting thin, its probably time to replace the tubes, and that should be the VERY FIRST THING YOU DO IF YOU BUY ONE OF THESE BABIES

Not difficult if you are willing to READ THE MANUAL. Although this is not a one-button device, it's plenty easy to use once you get your sound "patches" input and arranged.

I never give anything a TEN, so this gets a NINE. But it's a BIG NINE. I am originaly an electric bassist and own an MB-1 but as I've also got a Chapman Stick and several guitars (as well as stereo basses) I decided to add the MP-1 to two of my racks. I boght them both through Ebay and have not regretted it fir one minute.

If there is a "sound" you cannot get with this preamp, blame the person pushing the buttons- it's not the preamp's fault.

The MB-1 I bought new from ADA has never failed, and the two used MP-1's I bought through Ebay were real sweethearts to repair. I was impressed with the PCB layout and circuit design topography. I've been tempted several times to start offering repair work on the MP-x and MB-1 but all I need is more work. Besides, the only ones I'm likely to see are those that have been poorly maintained or stricken by some unfortunate event. They're just well enough designed to have few "normal" failures.

I do my own.

I wish ADA was still in business- I'd seek a position with them.

I'm not going to ramble on about how wonderful the MP-1 (And MB-1) preamps are- you can read the other reviews for yourself and get all that.

If you want a workhorse that won't become outdated, get an ADA preamp.

I basically use two guitars: Ibanez rg 3120 and Jackson Custom (both with DiMarzio
pickups), through ADA-MP1 (I have two units) + Rocktron Intellifex (for reverbs and delays) + Mesa Boogie 20/20 all
tube power amp + 2 cabinets (Marshall 1912).
I have bought the first MP-1 in 1993 and even today I continue to think, that under the sound characteristics
It still be the best preamp on the market.(On my taste)
I tried anower ADA's preamps (MP-2, MP-1Classic, MP-1/3TM), but any of them does not possess that unique
distortion which has original ADA MP-1.
I tried some other units, like SansAmp PSA-1, Carvin Quad X, Marshall JMP-1(Big Joke), but all of them sounded
like dying cat in comparison with ADA MP-1.
Unique worthy competitor - it MesaBoogie TriAxis (I have one), but it is not better,
and besides very expensive.

Read all the other reviews.

Built very well. No problems.

WWW.ADADEPOT.COM

I've been playing guitar for 20 years.If You want the sound of Paul Gilbert,Nuno Bettencourt,Marty
Friedman,Jason Becker,Metallica,Testament and many others,who used and still use the ADA-MP1,go and buy it.
But remember,what it just preamp and You will need some
other stuff,like good guitars,power amps and cabinets.

I use it with an Ibanez JPM100 P2...

My main rig is:

Ada MP-1 --> Rocktron Intellifex (Black face) --> Rocktron 300g Compressor with Hush --> Peavey 50 + 50 Poweramp (not the classic one, the other with the gold stripes) and Ada Mc-1 as a midi pedalboard.

I play most of all progressive metal / rock a la Dream Theater, but I like to play also Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, blues and a little of jazz too. This Preamp has got a lot of distorsion inside it... yeah it is really noisy but with my compressor 300g who has the HUSH system I can filter the noise... One important thing is to use the right tube with this unit otherwise u won't be satisfied. Now I use PM guitar tubes (12ax7HG, and HG stands for High Gain) and this unit rocks ^_^ Avoid low noise tube, they'll eat all sound and character. You can do a lot of modding into this preamp, one is installing a polipropilene condensator for reducing the noise (I think they use this "escamotage" for reducing noise also with the 3 tubes mod) or, always with a good technician, you can increase the distorsion amount in the first dist channel. I think this unit is good, who says it's shit is only a fuckin' noob :)

Fully programmable midi preamp, three voicings (solid state, tube clean, tube dist) and really customizable :) Quite easy to use, for some aspects it might be better reading the manual :)

Reliable :)

Ada died, instead Adadepot are really quick and kind ^^

I play guitar from 11 years, my kind of music requires a really good equipment. Let me say that if have some patience and you tweak it a little, this preamp is really awesome. I know it can't satisfy every person but give it a chance, it's a good unit ;)

rig as follows, hand made mahogany guitars with various Dimarzio pickups, MP-1, Rack EQ, Marshall JCM 800, THD, Hotplate, 4x12 cab with vintage 30's. Arion sch-1 chorus and EH memory man analog delay in effects loop of Marshall. I've played for 30 years and have owned alot of gear I like heavy rock and play alot of different stuff. Priest, Rush, SRV, also some of the new stuff, Foo Fighters, Velvet revolver, etc. The MP-1 is very versitile. The first thing to know is that it's only a part of your overall tone. Guitar woods, pickups, power amps etc, play a huge roll.This preamp has the ability to either sound like Gods rig or total shit. It depends how you set it up, which I found easy without a manual. I run mine into the front of the marshall. My unit has the small output switch on the top and it's on the low setting. I've come to find that you need a good balance between pre-amp distortion and power tube distortion. At high volumes, the speakers will take on a different tone too. So when your tweeking, Play at live levels. You can find your tone at low volumes and then it will sound like crap loud. I can go from Angus young, (lots of power tube distortion) to Zak Wilde, (lots of pre-amp distortion) pretty easy. I'm sure I could get simalar sounds from other pre-amps but for the money this does what it should and sounds great doing it. My other guitar player has a line 6 Pod. It sounds good but sounds like a processor to my ears. This sounds like a guitar. He is always asking me how I get my tone. Well, Get an amp rig, not a computer! I have EH tubes in mine and they sound great. I never have the gains past 6 on any of the presets. You loose tone with high gain. Good tone comes from pushing the power tubes. High pre-amp gain gets lost in a live mix. This preamp heats the marshall up and gives me good , useable distortion. Listen to some old priest and realize they are damn near clean but loaded with power tube distortion. I do plan on getting another one in case this one craps out but in 8 years, it's been bullitproof

read all the other reviews

no problems

na

great unit. If you get one, you will need to spend some time with it. You can't plug it in and expect to find what you want.It's Extremely versitile. But know that it's only a part of your sound. Alot of tone can come from the player too. If I play my rig, I sound like me, If Kirk Hammet plays my rig, he'll sound like Kirk Hammet. If I play his rig, I'll sound like me.

The sounds I get are amazing, when paired with a digital or analog effects processor, for shaping and noise surpressing, the effects that I paired with it is a peavy profex II efects processor and a korg digital tuner as well as line voltage conditioner. The peavy efects processor takes care of the noise gate and colors the sound with a good aray of effects like noise gate/aural exiters/and three types of equalization settings, and the other effects like phase pitch shifting etc. that give the mp-1 from extreme crunch to soft and suttle over drive tones, the only modifications that I did to it was replace the original tubes with groove tubes of wich a little noisy buy ok. Throughout the years I have fried the voice coils on my 412 cab, not by the volume but by exeeding the tone and saturation that the speakers can handle, by the way the cabinets are 1990 yamaha 412's mated to peavy MX tube power heads that I use for their great clean tube gain (clean chanel only) and colored with the effects processors.

The features are standard for this pre-amp, I puchased it back in 1990,

The only problem I had was that the front 1/4" input tended to give signal loss, but I solved the problem by removing the top cover and found out that unit wasn't cooled properly and was desodering a location that was conected to the input, my solution was to soder the location back in the circut board and provide a small fan in the rear of my rack case.

Well you know the company isn't here anymore, but like in life companies make bad management decisions in which it affects companies like wise. And like in any buisness spend money on R&D to keep fresh on products and with new inovations and marketing.

I use it on my Ibanez RG270DX into M&B 2:50 poweramp, with that set tone takes me to heaven and above. I wanted to get the solo tone of Gilbert and i sure got it with ada mp1. It has everything i ever wanted, from soft distortion to great&crystal clean to hard metal distortion. The perfect tone i get with ADA depends a lot from my distortion level (i use 80% of gain). IT'S THE BEST SOUND I CAN GET FOR PLAYING 80S MUSIC !!!

Really easy to use, the manual i got from adadepot.com was not needed, but if someone wants to check all the details, it's all well explained in it :). I bought my ADA MP1 preamp because of Paul Gilbert's Racer X sound he had in 1980s, and i sure got the tone i wanted. I use it for home use as well for the gigs. It's really the best i could ever get.

I use it for 8 years now and it has never been broken, i only placed new tubes twice in that time. I play with it on gig without any backup, because i never saw a piece of equipment reliable as ADA is. It is A W E S O M E.

I never had any problem, so i can't give any argument on that as well. Even that ADA company does not exist anymore, on net you can find www.adadepot.com with TONS of useful info, sets, etc... for that i give them 100% support :)

I've been playing for 12 years, and as i said for half of my guitar life i've been looking for that Gilbert tone .. and i found it with my ADA. That's it!

Distortion? Tone? Well yes I am a metalhead and have never tried to get the tone of Led Zep's "Communication Breakdown" and don't think that's what ADA had in mind when designing this unit. I've been playing in a Metallica Tribute for the past 5 years. I have 2 of these, one very old and one as new as you can get. Both sound great. The old one has a switch for instrument/line level. Found a problem here as I like to use the rear input and whether the switch is line or guitar level the rear jack is much quieter than the front. The new one, both inputs are exactly the same. They did away with the switch.

I don't know why some of you are displeased with the way the MP-1 sounds. All I can say is that you either got a lemon or had bad tubes. It will not get every sound you may be after but it also does not sound like a beehive either as some have stated. Remember the power amp is very important too and not all tube amps sound the same. Be sure to check out Eurotubes.com for alot of info about Mesa, Peavey, Marshall, etc. and how they come from the factory set up completely wrong. I use a Peavey Classic 50/50 power amp. A workingman's amp. Very rugged and decent sound. Plus you can change its voicing depending on what power tube rating you choose, being from 1 to 10 from groove tubes (EL84) which are made by JJ Slovakia. Enough about power amps. This preamp comes as close to old school Metallica as you can get, but it does need a little help from an EQ after it. I use an Alesis Quadraverb (again with the old school, not as old as Supro on the other hand so why does no-one ever complain you can't get Metallica out of one of them?) for added EQ. It has a very good 5 band parametric, however you can only run 1 other effect with it (delay) but for Metallica rythem you don't need it. I have found some outstanding lead tones from this and my style is from Hammet to Friedman. I also like Priest, Maiden, UFO, Satriani, Johnson, Rush, Dream Theater, Queensryche, ets. all opf which san be achieved with this preamp as well as Disturbed, Godsmack, Megadeth with the right power amp, EQ, and speaker cabs. There are thousands of different guitar amps out there and no single amp cam sound like all of them. This one however sound great in most cases. As for gain I don't have mine set past 6 and my rhythem guitarist is set at 7 and there is plenty of gain to spare if you need it. The 3 tube mod does not seem necessary to me, but to each his own...and that the key. If your not sure of your tone ask what your fans think. I have had hundreds of people come up to me after a show and say how great I sounded, ask what I'm using, some surprised some not.

Very easy to use, I have never had a manual (bought used) but had no problem editing programs. I have used alot of rack gear in the past however, and if you can get through a Quadraverb or a Rocktron Prophesy this unit is cake. The Prophesy is a very well featured processor, The MP-1 is a very well featured preamp. Sure it's great to have all in one, but sometimes the it's best to leave reverb and delay to guys that specialize in it.

Input jack on front panel of older unit became scratchy. Had to make a tool to bend the tang back to make contact. Contact cleaner helped too. No problems otherwise whatsoever

Much better service than Peavey, That's for sure, I paid very little for my 2 MP-1's but you can get one on ebay all the time for a great price, and, it will beat anything costing as much as 3 or 4 times as much. Check out adadepot.com for manuals and specs.

I have been playing guitar for 30 years. Jackson V's and Les Paul's are my choice of guitars with EMG pickups; 81,89,60. I also use a 3630 for gate and a tiny bit of compression. You can't go wrong with a set of JJ tubes in this thing. They have standard as well as high gain tubes and have alot of character/dynamics.

I would buy another one if lost or stolen. I want to try the MP-2 as it has a more powerful EQ section, but I don't know if it retains the same tone.

My good friend bought a Rocktron Prophesy back when we played in a Def Leppard tribute and have to say it is a great sounding processor. Costs much more but has everything along with great distortion. Takes a long time to set up though. I am still searching for that elusive bright never ending sustain like Creaping Death but, I probably just don't have the right balance of EQ/preamp yet.

I'm using a maverick guitar (newish british guitar company) with this pre amp and it goes well. This unit was designed mainly for heavy rock/ metal genre's (just look at the artists that played these things, mainly shred and metal). This thing is very good at shred type leads and i was pleasently suprised at the rhythm tones too although they are more marshall than mesa but you can get mods for them to sound like a mesa at ADADEPOT.com
The distortion can get pretty darn brutal with some good high gain tubes. Im using EH 12AX7's which work very well. I tend to prefer clean distortions so that when at gig volumes the distortion doesnt sounds muddy and meshed and this thing sounds very clean.
The clean channels are pretty good but will sound awsome with a good rack FX unit.

Pretty good feature for its age. 128 presets etc. You know it by now. Very versatile. I'm pretty glad it doesnt have delay reverb etc because i normally find that if a company design something just for the distortion they normally get it pretty good. Like here.

Well ive only had it a few months and has worked fine. I am from the UK and ordered it from US so i had to buy a step down transformer which works fine.

ADA GONE! Nuff said.

ADADEPOT.com knows everything you need to fix it if it broke.

Ive been playing nearly 5 years now and have always played line 6 type modelers which are great for home use and PC recording.....but for live use...NO WAY! They lack the soul of a good tube tone. The great thing about rack gear is that you can add things to improve the sound of it. Ive played this on its own and it sounds great but with a great cab and FX it will sound AWESOME!!!!!
The only other things that are close to this is Triaxis and JMP-1 which are way way WAY more expensive. Great pre amp.

I'm just giving a quick review. I bought mine new in 1989 and and used it with NO problems ever since. I don't push the volume too high because I can get all the volume I need out of my Eventide and amp. Therefore, in 14 years, I've only changed the tubes one time, and that was just as an experiment, not that I blew any.

I basically have 4 sounds programmed. Clean, crunch, distortion with heavy mids, distortion scooped a bit. Everything else I can taylor through my effects. I've tried switching from rack effects to going all pedals, but I have yet to find any distortion pedal that even has half the gain and response the MP-1 does.

If you have a good processor after it, you can run line levels out of it and not have to push the tubes as hard.

Read below for other features

14 years. no probs.

never had to deal them for repairs. I did get an upgrade a LONG time ago.

Been playing for 19 years. Many guitars and many effects. If this thing ever breaks down, I'd probably try out the Tech 21 PSA-1 rack distortion next. There nothing wrong with a little change here and there.

What a amazing piece of shit. If you have been playing guitar for a while and have been looking for a shitty distortion that sounds a like a dying cat, then buy this. The tone is 100% generic. It almost sounds good through my mesa strategy 500, but nothing near to my triaxis or hughes and kettner access. A true waste of money and time. I can't belive I have owned and used this piece of crap for so long. Don't belive any of the reviews that say it sounds good. Spend a little more money and get a sans amp or a jmp-1

The usual stuff- fx loop, midi, a really shitty sounding chorus, not bad

I wrote this review today because it finally died. This thing is old and has been through hell and back. It has toured with numorous metal bands for the last 10 or so years.

This is the sound I've been looking for in 20+ years. I have switched between early 80's hard rock to late 80's & early 90's metal and just about any classic rock. I now play prog rock (Dream Theater, Fates Warning) and with the MP-1 I can nail any tone I'm after. The distortion can go from thick and edgy to super saturated to razor sharp. And with the MIDI control I can call up any preset instantly. Solid state clean is VERY clean and the tube clean breaks up at higher
settings. I have a very light touch and the MP-1 picks up the dynamics and articulation in my technique. Most hi-gain amps squashed and mangled my tone so any expression was totally covered up by the amps character. The sound of the MP-1 blends very well with my technique and allows me to use my hands as a part of the tone.

The features are well documented here, I won't reiterate them. But go to ADADEPOT.COM for all the info you need. That site is the best.

Very reliable, I have retubed mine at least 7 times for different sounds and not once has I failed me in 9 years.

ADA is dead so go to ADADEPOT.COM for any info or help. They have manuals, pics, mods, and a messageboard. Incredible site.

I run from 3 different custom Ibanez RG 421s into the MP-1 then into a Digitech RP-20 (for effects and midi control only)into a Hafler G-150 power amp and then to a Peavey XXL 4x12 cab split in stereo. The MP-1 gives me any tone I need from soft to hard. If you can't afford a Marshall or Mesa amp (I sure can't), this is the next best thing. Also, if the stock sound doesn't sound good to you it can be modified to sound similar to a Mesa Dual Rectifier or Soldano SLO 100. Go to ADADEPOT.COM before passing judgement on the MP-1. It is a very flexable pre-amp.

i used this with a marshal jcm 800 4x12 and a mesa 20/20 poweramp..... it sounds like a boss metal zone.but not even as good....it has lots of gain. these guys who are gettin this three tube mod for more gain than this thing already puts out......well,they need to have there ears checked.how much gain do ya need???? this is one of the buzziest crappy sounding POS ive ever used.save your money. the company isnt even around anymore. what does that tell ya? this thing put em outta business.if yer playin screaming metal,/ it might be alright to use. after all those guys wouldnt know tone if Hendrix busted his strat over there heads!!!!!

midi tube preamp. stereo.fx loop.

it works ...but i dont what'll happen when it needs work.ADA is defuncked.

ther gone like the dinosaur!!!!

its good for a backup i suppose. or if your an ear dead metal head.my advice get a real tube amp.i have a marshall JMP-1 that smokes this thing...sorry ADA lovers .its true...thats what this POS is tryin to do amnyway..sound like a hot rodded marshall..... well the JMP-1 does that wayyyy better than this thing does....but niether sound as good as my JCM 800 head and cab together....

***my little story.....skip below if you dont care, yet it may be helpful to some***

this is where my epic-like journey began. before i was using a crate stealth (pretty good tube head for the price), but i wanted more (ie midi capabilities, to build a rack, simplify my rig, blah blah). like i said before, i like metallica, and after reading one of kirk's interviews about this preamp and reviews here on harmony-central i bought one off the internet.

when i first tried it, it was cool i guess. classic rock tone. and after messing with the settings and all that, thats all i got, a classic rock tone. which is cool in its own sense, but in my band we play thrash, and that wouldn't stand.

this amp is known for its gain, so once again i went back on here and read how everyone put in new tubes. the only preamp tubes i had laying around was an electro-harmonix 12ax7eh and a mesa boogie 12ax7. after i put them in, very little changed.

so then i tried boosting the preamp section with an overdrive pedal, and that helped A LOT. but it still wasnt what i wanted. so then i went back on here AGAIN (i love this site) and noticed one of the reviews below talking about mixing tubes and putting them in a different order (thank you sir for that review). i didnt think it would do much but i tried it anyways and DAMN, that did it.


<actual review>


distortion - i was pleased with my little experiments. the distortion on this thing is pretty heavy, especially for thrash/metal. the tone that i have is fairly scooped...not scooped to hell like ...and justice for all and the black album, but enough mids to actually give my tone muscles. (remember....you may like your 10 bass -10 mid 10 treble settings when playing at home....but play in a band and you will not hear yourself....i guarantee it) it does have a marshall quality to the tone. however, you MUST get another eq to hook up after the preamp. the eq onboard the mp-1 is pretty much crap. you might also want to get an eq to put before the preamp, because from my experiences, good tone = good pickups -> eq -> preamp distortion with onboard eq -> another eq -> and TUBE power amp. with all that, you should pretty much nail the tone youre looking for. but even with all the gain that this beast has, combined with good pickups, you can hear every note when you hit a barre chord.

clean-as for the clean....im not too anal about that. just give me a good scooped clean with chorus and ill be satified. but this preamp does exactly that. people on here complain that it breaks up to early, but i personally like that. i dont want my clean being to crystal clean, just a little dirty. to give you the idea of the clean....listen to "Harvester of Sorrow" by metallica, thats the clean on this thing.

A rack preamp from the late 80s/early 90s. Offers an EQ (limited to whole number increments that makes it a little difficult to perfectly nail your tone), 2 Overdrive sections (OD1 is the pre-gain to boost your signal before distortion, OD 2 being the actual gain which controls your distortion), master gain (think of it as the sub-volume while the output level knob acts as your master volume so to speak),presence control, onboard chorus (which seems more like a flanger to me), 3 voicings (solid state clean, tube clean, and tube distortion), effects loop, headphone jack (why?), stereo output and midi capabilities.

i REALLY wish it came with reverb, but then again its just a preamp. if i had a choice id swap out the chorus/flanger for reverb. even though my clean always has a chorus on (yeah i like metallica), i seem to get a better chorus tone from my pedals. plus the fact that i only use one type of chorus setting unlike my numerous reverb settings. but then again im sure some you will enjoy different chorus settings at different channels.

seems pretty sturdy to me. spends time in a rack so its somewhat protected from the evils of the world. but i have gigged with this and i never had a problem with it yet.

never dealt with.

ive been playing for about 5 years, and ever since day one, ive been anal about tone. this thing pretty much has one of the nicest tones ive heard coming from a preamp. although you WILL NEED A POWER AMP in order to get excellent tone, but itll still sound somewhat decent through a SS power amp.

however, due to the fact that this is an old preamp, you will have to get some extra things in order to see its true nature. my rig is as follows...

guitar -> line6 distortion modeler (which acts as an eq and adds a tad bit more gain to the front end) -> ada mp1 (reverb in the loop) -> parametric eq -> power amp section of my crate stealth tube amp.

but pretty much if this thing were stolen, i would definately get a new one. unless our band gets signed and we get all rich and famous...then id buy a marshall tsl. but while im awake, ill stick with my mp-1.

but the reason for the 7 is the fact that it requires a bunch of other stuff to make it great.....and the fact that it needs REVERB!

Pretty simple to use.Like all rack gear takes some tweaking but the sound u want comes quiqly.If there was a software editor out there i would gave 10

My setup:Ibanez jem 77fp(with emg active picups)->morley bad horsie wah->boss ns-2 noise gate->ibanez ts-9dx turbo tube screamer->ada mp-1->boss vf-1->peavey s.s. amp(not good).
the sound i can get from this rig its awesome.Just name it and its there.The mp-1 has all the things i need,from crystal compressed clean,to mild sweet fat overdrive,to hard metal distortion.The dynamics and picking response in this thing are great.Of course with hi gain settings u get some noise too,but nothing a good gate can't fix.One notice.This is not a standalone unit.It is a great preamp(with a great price)but u will need some good units with it to have full implementation of this unit.espesially a good power amp and cabs will take your sound to the next level.

Never had problems(lets hope i never will)

Ada is history(too bad) but u can get all the support u want from www.adadepot.com

I play for 8 years rock metal blues.This unit definatly is for my style.The only thing missing from my rig is a microcabII but soon i ll nail one too.

Looks confusing at first but the manual is easy to understand. You just need to experiment with pushing buttons. I got lucky and mine had the manuals for the MP-1 and MC-1 footswitch. It gets great sound by just tweaking the EQ.

Sound is incredible. I play Heavy/Speed/Thrash Metal and this unit kicks it. ADADepot.com has presets by users that allow you to start w/ a setting and you can tweak from there. I use Ruby Tubes for a great distortion.
I run the MP-1 w/a Legionsound poweramp (www.steelsound.com), a dual 15-band EQ, MC-1 footswitch, 2 Jackson Performers (1 custom), 1 Behringer 4x12, 1 custom 4x12. Very loud set-up.

Very rugged and dependable so far. Replaced the tubes when I first got it and it shreds. Since ADA no longer exists, some smart fellers put together www.ADADepot.com. These guys can answer any question you might have about this unit, including mods to get different sounds.

www.ADADEPOT.com

Can't live without this site!!!
These guys are the only existing support.

I tried many other tube amps and this unit can hold balls with almost all of them. Once you do a mod from the support site, this puts all those $1000+ heads to shame. Why pay for a name when you can pay for this kind of quality. I still have yet to fill all my 128 patches (yes, 128).
If there was one thing to change, it would be that the power switch is on the back and is hard to get to in a rack. That's all I can complain about. ADA kicks!!!

when i first got it home i was not too impressed.the dist tube is way too hot and muddy for hi speed hi clarity runs,but push the clean tube channel and look out!so many great tones from ej to satch to al dimeola live there.the eq is very effective but needs to be carefully adjusted as sometimes the difference between great and awful are a couple notches away so to speak.noise can be taimed with a hush unit.I perfomed a mod [the cathode follower circuit change courtesy of mark howell and ADADEPOT.COM THE SITE FOR ALL THINGS ADA]that makes for a much more Marshall crunch contour,with slightly less gain..not a issue for me as i use a dostortion pro into stock plexi 100,s also a great classic semi dirt tone ala daydreamer from trower is obtainable at any volume hendrix,shred,blues,fusion they in there.

mine is from 1988 .I bought it for the price... 125$used at guitar center.the presets are of course a joke and may mislead newbies into thinking its shit.It does require some experimenting to get to the goodies,but they are in there.3 channels [hot tube,clean tube,clean solid state]lots of midi storage,nice chorus,loop,shit input jac,headphone in.

get the best tubes you can afford.also a battery for the memory I GOT ONE AT RADIO SHACK for 3$ watch the input jac it would be a good idea to replace it using the dead bug trick [a simular ideais avail at adadepot.com]

R.I.P

i love mine for price nothing caan touch it.I would replace immed.In fact I am going to buy 2 more if I can find them for less than 170$ .if you dont dig the dirty tube channel try the clean tube maxed out or close to it.also try the marshall mod it does make a difference. it takes about 2 hours only because the parts are very small and you don"t want any mistakes.if your not sure of your electronics skill,any tech can do it it should not cost much its not brain sergery

I play a variety of musical styles ranging from classic Marshall "plexi" sounds to jazz. This unit sounds very good, but some of the digital sample pre-amps sounds better. However, they samplers are more expensive.

The ADA MP-1 sounds better than many amp heads.

If your unit is noisy, I suspect its time for you to change tubes and/or upgrade your guitar cable or shielding.

I have a first or second year ADA MP-1 and I had a second used one that was at least five years newer, but in tough shape. The price information listed by others is accurate.

My ADA MP-1 goes directly into a stereo high constant current power amp and into a stereo Marshall 2x12 cabinet.

I like the fact I can save my sounds and easily step through the sounds in comparison to most items of this type.

I found my older reverb unit added noise and limited the signal out of the ADA. I guess I would have found a reverb more useful than a the included chorus. I also wish ADA's excellent flanger sound might have been included.

I've used several sets of tubes and had a diode repleaced on my original unit.

The backup unit worked pretty good until is suffered a catstrophic failure. The backup unit had bee exposed to a lot of mosture over the years from what I could tell. Many ADAs live hard lives.

I would say slightly milder and quiter tubes are my choice, but if you want to get a harder sound like Metallica, it will respond with the a tube selection like Rubies. If you can find Mullards, then the ADA MP-1 will sound more like an older Marshall. Mullards can be expensive.

Instead of checking internet vintage tube suppliers or vintage guitar stores, you might be better off check surplus military stores like Mendelson's in Dayton, Ohio. An old timer from the military told me to look for slightly used or NOS Raytheon tubes first and then RCAs and avoid the cheaper commerical grade GE tubes. The guy said Mullards are good, but "good luck on finding them in this country."

I don't know which brand of new tubes to recommend, because the ones I like best don't seem to last that long. The closest you can match the complete tube type designation, the closer the tube should be to the original sepcification in terms of sound and noise supression.

I talked to the head person among others several times among others and it was on my suggestion the MicroCab option was developed.

I had excellent support with ADA when compared to most other companies. I'd put them at the same level as Yamaha, Martin, and Prescription Electronics and slightly better than Modulus, Duncan, SWR, and today's Gibson.

I wouldn't buy another at this point, but they are great units if you're on a budget and you already have a power amp.

My constant current power amp is made by AB, but I'd think most any name brand would be good if it is realiable and quiet.

I have some instructions and wiring diagrams. I'd be willing to sell my ADA to a person in need.

Very easy to use . . . I've had it since 1990 and NEVER had a problem with it . It's so easy to use and create new sounds. The manual is very self explanatory. The MIDI is easy to use.

I use a customized Ibanez and a PRS Custom 24 with a X-11 MIDI pedal to control it . With the MP-1-> Digitech S-200 -> a TubeWorks MosValve 240watt amp--> two Mesa/Boogie cabinets. It sounds great! I can get a perfect silky Santana tone, exellent clean/blues tones and all in between.

It's my primary in my rack system I never take anything else with me . I've replaced the battery, and have a back-up. But thats all. I've used it in the studio, on stage and no matter what or where it's kicked ass.

Never needed to get it repaired. The company was great when I lost the manual. I u'sted to love the magazine that came out for a while.

I play rock/metal/blues and it's a versitile/wicked little pre-amp. I've been playing for 18 yrs. I also own a 72 Stratocastor, a thin body Ovation acoustic,a Fender FR-50 resanotor. If I "lost it" in some way I would replace it possabily with a MP-2 or another MP-1. I just love love the ease of use.The only thing I would want is a tuner in it. The only thing I ever had a problem with was the phantom power to the controler, but I got that corrected really easily. It created my "signiture sound" and I love it; smooth distortions, hard gutsy full out distortions, silky sustain, clear clean tones and smoky blues tones.

I use Ibanez S470 w/ DiMarzio Steve's Special in bridge, Fender Amrican Strat with SD JB in bridge/59 in neck, ESP/LTD EC-1000 w/ dual EMG 81's. ALl these guitars sound awesome through the MP-1. I play death metal, black metal, hardcore, heavy metal, jazz, blues, country, all sorts of shit, everything sounds good on it. With an eq, I use a Behringer PROEQ, dual 31-band, and this thign puts out some seriously brutal distortion if I eq it to. Even without the eq, it sounds awesome.

Uh, everyone knows the damn features...MOVING ON!

Never had it fuck up, never even worried about it. It's solid.

Never dealt with them, and don't plan to.

I've been playing for 5 years, I gig a lot, do a lot of studio work, and this preamp is just too good for the money, should cost over $700, but I'm not complaining, heh. Would buy another if it were stolen, but not after I shoved apple cores up the guys ass that stole it. Peace.

I'm currently running: Epiphone Les Paul w/EMG 81 -> Ernie Ball Volume -> ADA MP-1 -> Roland JC-120 (ADA outs into Roland effects loop, using ADA level knob for volume). There's a hint of noise with the more extreme distortion levels, mostly ground hum from my crappily wired room and lack of a power conditioner.

I play mostly metal/hard rock stuff in the vein of Tool, but venture into Metallica territory and some blues stuff, too. This amp covers it all. Sounds more organic than a JMP-1 (and with a better interface), and again, is much cheaper than the Triaxis. The tubes give it just enough warmth to be enjoyable, but it doesn't quite compress or break up like an all-tube amp... but it's not, so why should it?

Again, s.s. setting is clean as a whistle, the clean tube setting is nice and warm, and can hit that really great tubey crunch when the ODs are pushed. The dist tube setting has a little too much gain for me most of the time, unless I'm playing some really over-saturated lead stuff (which is when the chorus DOES sound good. I get a decent Van Halen/Satriani sound out of it). It's not perfect, but 85 bucks for a piece of guitar history? Count me in.

Nothing fancy, other than LOTS of MIDI storage space. This is my first piece of MIDI gear, and I've totally fallen in love with freedom you get... once you read the manual. For everything. I got the matching MC-1 foot controller. It's pretty simple. The solid state "voicing" sounds crisp and biting (especially with the treble jacked), and both tube sounds (clean and dist) are great. A really wide selection of tones. It's no Triaxis, but for around 2% of the price... not bad. The chorus is pretty digital, but I try not to use it much.

Connections are pretty standard for a preamp: outputs, effects loop, and headphones. I'm told there's a "speaker modeling" switch on it, but I still can't find it. It's supposed to be on top, but I just can't find it.

Editing is a breeze, but reading the manual does help.

I haven't had to change the battery or tubes yet... but I've only had it for a couple months. I'm planning on backing up my presets and changing tubes in the near future so I can be assured that it'll be good for a while and I'm covered if the battery dies. I would buy one in an instant if it were stolen or totally died, and I would gig with it expecting it to work on ANY occasion. The only thing I'd do with a backup is program more sounds into it.

::sniff:: No more ADA... that makes me sad. I think I could probably get it fixed just about anywhere, though... it's a pretty popular amp. Given a 1 because, as we all know, there's no more ADA.

I've been playing for about 10 years, and only started playing in a band about a year ago. This is the newest piece in the tone puzzle. I'm planning on getting a TC Electronic G Major and a Mesa/Boogie 2:90, but I'll never get rid of my ADA. It's so easy to use, and it sounds great. The only thing I wish is that they would have taken more time with the chorus... but that's what the G Major will be for. :)

if you cant figure how to work this thing ,by a stomp box
A little tricky to get the right sounds but so are all the other units I have tried
the manual are out there on the net...

wery good distortion,but be aware how you set the values compared to each other...the eq`are a little weak...
My setup is Ada - (with a Alesis midiverb3 and Boss ge 21 in the effectloop) - Marshall 9100 - Marshall 4 * 12 cab
I used Ibanez rg guitars ,mainly rg 560 7620...

I bought my first one 11 years ago,sadly it died on me a few month ago...but I have used it almost daily...
I have never brought a backup ,never needed ,but maybe I should

no offical ada site but there are a coupple sites out there...
tried a local place but they could not fix it...still trying!

I play mostly metal,some hard rock gothic rock etc...
I have been playing for about 15 years and I have tried alot of different equimpment,sometime I wish it had a little better eq and a little more distortion ,but if you have a guitar with good pickups its no proplem,,but an equalizer is recomended!
I have a special sound wich many guitarists have noticed..and the Ada is the heart of that sound!!!...I bought 2 others when my first one broke down,it was not easy to find belive me...at this price it is simply rules!!!
I have tried Marshall jmp-1,different kinds of Rocktrons,Mesa Boogie triaxe.and a few Digitechs...
the triaxe sound cool but to nice...I guess I would by a Rocktron Piranha it sounded great but will cost you more than an Ada...

Easy to edit, easy to program, easy to control via midi. Found the manual on the web after 1.5 years workign with it - so self explanatory.

Top notch overdrive and distortion if programmed rightish. , Difficult to understand why the overdrive just kicks in at high values.
A bit noisy, you'll need to use a denoiser with it (I use a Rocktron Hush CXII).

Very solid very reliable built like a rock.

No Ada anymore

I use it in the effect loop of my Spirit Folio SI to add a smooth overdrive to my Hammond and E-Piano sounds and this works out perfect! I love the midi capabilities and the sound is better than anything else for this. If stolen I'd desperatley look for another one. It would be perfect if the noise bit would be better.

I'm just going to give a quick review for the MP-1. Editing is a cinch. Manual is easy to understand.

I love this thing. I've used Ibanez and Music Man through my MP-1. Chorus is nice, especially when used in stereo.

Never needed a replacement.

These thing kick all ass. I bought mine in 1988 and it has NEVER had a problem in 15 years. Anyone who can pick one of these up for cheap should. I paid $550 for mine back when they were new. It has served me well over the years.

I figure one of these days it will die on me and I'll probably go buy a Tech 21 rackmount distortion unit. I've never heard it, but if it's anything like the other TECH 21 products, it's gonna be great.

It isn't particularly intuitive how to save patches above #9. No, I have not RTFM. Shouldn't have to.

This is where the MP-1 shines! It does every tone I could want. With a bit of tweaking, it does those super heavy, saturated modern tones, too. (I play blues, classic rock, and pop rock. SRV, Rush, REO, Deep Purple, Cars, Bowie, Sting, Alan Parsons, Pink Floyd and the like.)

I play straight into the MP-1 (except when I use the Wah), through an Alesis multieffect, and into a matched pair of solid-state combo amps, in stereo. (I'm using the LINE-IN on the amps so I go directly to the power amp stage.)

I have an American Std Strat (From bridge to neck: SD Hot Rails, Duckbucker, JBJr), Les Paul (Stock), Washburn A5 (SD 59/Jazz), and an Ibanez RG (SD Custom, JBJr, 59). The MP-1 has so many patches that I can use a range of settings for each guitar.

The clean tube channel is where I spend most of my time. If you push it a bit, you get the vintage tube overdriven tone -- no problem. The distortion tube channel is where you get your more extreme stuff. I only have a handful of patches that use it. The solid-state clean channel is *very* clean, even with high gain. On this channel, you generally need more extreme EQ to get the sound you're looking for. But the ss clean channel is what makes this preamp so well rounded--clean means clean.

No unexpected problems here. (It has tubes, so eventually you'll need to replace them.)

These are < 150 on eBay. I'm glad I don't need one of those expensive "modeling" things. The MP-1 does what the modelers are trying to model in the first place. Talk about value. (These were much more money when they first came out. I think it was 87 or so.)

excellent sounding unit. the high gain tones are superb. I had a Triaxis until I bought this unit. I can 10 of these MP-1 units for the cost of the Triaxis. Don't get me wrong, the Mesa Boogie unit is very versatile, but too pricy when you can afford an MP-1.

the ADA channel switching is louder than the Triaxis. An audible pop can be heard, no big deal though. just want to be clear.

lot's of features, read the other reviews.
wish the output selector (line or instrument) was mounted on the back, not on top of the unit...seems silly.

I don't use the chorus as I use a TC Electronic G-Major for effects

no problems. just regular wear and tear (tubes replace, volume knob replaced because it wore out....heck, it's over a decade old)

haha, no more ADA... *SIGH*

great unit for the money. if you want bang for the buck, here it is.

I use this with a 70's strat and 2 Les pauls, one with carvin pickups. with hot pickups, it screams, with lesser outputs(like on my strat) it has a real nice growl. The clean channel stays clear all the way, but with the gain controls you can get a lovely AC DC style crunch. The Distortion channel is way over the top, with almost too much gain, that ranges from hard edged hard rock souns, that really lets you dig in, to full on saturated heavy metal crunch.The noise on the solid state circuit is sometimes really annoying, but I use some hush from a rocktron intellifex(which is the perfect partner for the ADA;the belong together)and it cleans right up.

The mp1 was made in the late eighties, is fully midi programmable, has controls for 3 gain stages, an fx loop, 3 band eq and a very nice sounding stereo chorus. you can choose from 3 seperate voicings for each of the 128 presets- clean tube, distortion tube and solid state circuit with compression(modelled on a roland JC-120). other features include a headphone output and midi in, out and thru.
paired with the right power amp, its loud enough for any gig, and the 2 12AX7 tubes give it beautiful tone on any preset, making it perfect for warm jazz tones, blues rock, heavy metal and especially hot rod californian shred sounds(my favourite)

This is the most reliable piece of gear, its been gigged for about 10 years with several owners, has never had replaced tubes or been serviced, and still looks and sounds like its brand new.

Its a bit of a worry ADA no longer exist, so you cant get it serviced by a proper tech, althuogh there are plenty of 'third party' sites on the net that can do the job.

If this got stolen, itd be unreplaceable. I use it with a boss graphic eq , a rocktron intellifex and a marshall power amp. Compared to a boogie triaxis, its way cheaper and sounds just as good with my rig, and also preceded marshalls JMP1. Ironically, I believe it recreates marshall and boogie tones almost better than the companies themselves! They are pretty rare, and itd be hard to find a replacement.

Badass! I own 2 of these preamps. They both just crush! Those people looking for the Mesa Dual Recto sound would have been disappointed.....UNTIL NOW!!! Yes, the MP-1 can be modded to have the Mesa tone, and better yet, ITS CHEAP AND EASY TO DO!!! Info can be found at www.adadepot.com Check it out, you may just wet yourself! (Unless of course, you paid the big bucks for the Mesa as well. In which case, you probably will be so angry, as you didn't even get a kiss or a pat on the head for that nasty buggering you received.....)

It slices! It dices! It already knows even before you do when and where you like it rough and when and where to be gentle! And now for this unlimited time offer, this amazing preamp will even light your cigarette and "just cuddle and talk" with your significant other/lover/sex pet after sex FOR YOU! ;)

Other than that, you know what this preamp has for features.

I beat the hell out of my MP-1 preamps and make them be my bitch every single day for 4-8 hours a stretch. Sometimes you may find an MP-1 with minor issues, as nothing is perfect and time does take its toll on everything, but mine are always obedient and just keep getting up for more. I only have to change the tubes every now and then (about every 4-6 months) and "Please, may I have another?" is what I keep hearing after the violent floggings I regularly dispense with sadistic intent.

They must like it by now, I'm sure.

ADA has been out of biz for quite some time now, due to the usual corporate takeovers, leadership differences, or financial maladies that threaten all the innovative and successful businesses. Actually, I had heard that ADA had a huge fire at their factory and decided to just call it a day after that, but I can't confirm this as I wasn't there. (I was on the opposite side of the country when I was into torching stuff back then. My attorney said I shouldn't say that, but what the hell, the statute of limitations has long since expired...... ;)

No matter, www.adadepot.com is the place to go for support.

Like I was saying, you know all the features and facts about this awesome preamp. I'm here to tell you that this thing can be modded quite easily to kill a Mesa Dual Recto at 20 paces as well. I am not dogging on Mesa in any way whatsoever, but as that overused saying goes, "Show me the money!"

The going rate for an MP-1 is about $100-120 USD used on ebay. I paid about $120 for each MP-1 I own. You will not, I repeat, NOT find a Mesa ANYTHING anywhere for twice that price! At about $1500 for the Mesa equalivant, it works out to be about $375 for each letter in the word "Mesa". Thats what you're REALLY paying for, after all. And besides, SOMEBODY has to financially make it up to the companies that give away their products to the ungrateful artists using their products....(successful artists who can already afford to buy dozens of the product, I might add. The rest of us poor folk pay our own bills) Add about $5 for the parts needed for the modification, and some real basic electronic skills, and viola! Something you can be even prouder of than you already are! The folks who spent all that money for their Rectos will hunt you down out of pure jealousy, then simply resort to crying in their hands. Go for it! VALUE DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any company, nor am I a part of any corporate decision for anything. I neither buy nor sell anything on a commission, and I have absolutely NOTHING to gain with this posting. I also do not own or maintain the website I mentioned or any other site for that matter. I am a person just like so many of you who have needs, but little means. The Tipster just wants you to know that you CAN have a Ferrari or Viper for the same price as a Yugo or a Kia. And to entertain somewhat while I'm bending your ear is good, too! (come on now, you didn't honestly think that I wouldn't want to be "cuddled and talked to" afterwards now and then, did you?) ;)

Features: Tube Preamp with Three "voicings" (I think of them as channels, I dunno if they are or not, technically). Solid State Clean, Tube Clean, Tube Distorted. On board 3 band EQ + Presence (Low,Mid,Hi,Presence) and built-in Stereo Chorus. MIDI Program Switching with 128 presets. Basic Straight-up preamp. I like the on-board EQ, Chorus, and the MIDI switching features. Could benefit from on board noise gate, more EQ bands, and FX.

Creating patches is easy and intuitive. Could probably be understood without a manual. The MIDI implementation is straight forward/understandable.

I upgraded my firmware to 2.01 for MIDI based patch editing.

Just an up front note: I've owned this for almost two years now, so I've had time to fall out of that new-gear-honeymoon-phase during which most HC reviews are written :)

As some others have mentioned, I think it's important to remember this is a preamp. By design, it's not an all in one unit. It's a key component in your tone, but you will need to surround it with quality components to get your ultimate tone. A minimum is a good guitar, power amp, and cab. See more notes below on outboard gear.

I'm using it with a Boss OD-20 overdrive in front of it (sometimes I use the Fulltone FD2 model with the MP1) with a Boss VF-1 for EQ and FX and a Behringer UltraFex II as a Maximizer. I use a Rocktron Hush IIcx for Noise Suppression. For live power, I use a Peavey Classic 30 as a power amp and for recording I go through an ADA Microcab (awesome piece of gear!!). Guitars are home-made strat (main axe) w/ Duncan Demon and Dimarzio Air Norton pups, and a PRS Custom 24.

Tonewise, this thing's surprisingly versatile. The reputation as a hair band/shredder tool the MP-1 got in the late 80's was really misplaced (although, admittedly it does nail that tone easily :).

Here's the basic run down for the "channels":

SS Clean: The Solid State Analog clean channel is really, really, nice. Combined with the onboard chorus it's got a very "Roland JC-120" thing going on. I love this crystalline clean sound. Some people will probably hate it for being too 'HiFi' sounding but I think it's exactly how a clean channel should sound. This was a really pleasant surprise for a 'Heavy Metal' preamp.

Tube Clean: As many have mentioned this channel begins to break up quickly. The break up is musical, though, so I kind of consider this a feature since I like the SS channel for pure clean tones. I think of this as the Bluesy/Fender channel. You can get a lot of nice blues and classic rock stuff going here. You *can* get a 'Warm' pure clean tone from the MP-1 but it requires quite a bit of tweaking for your setup (like turning down your guitar volume knob) and some people will find it frustrating. This is probably it's biggest weakness. Like I said, I love the SS Clean, so this is a non-issue for me.

Distorted Tube: And, of course, the main reason people are interested in a preamp like this, the tube distortion channel. This unit has gain to spare... Like many here have observed the responsiveness is very good and you really can get a great shred tone. I personally have not had much trouble getting this thing to do everything from classic heavy metal and modded Marshall tones all the way to Hyper Dark/Death/Satanic stuff. It does have a more 'Hot Rod Marshall' signature to it than some other preamps (but that can be a beautiful thing :).

It does the 'Liquid' High Gain lead sound that everyone is looking right out of the box. The Rhythm tones can get into the truly devastating range and can made to go right over the top with extra EQ and a slightly boosted input signal (Tubescreamer and/or Active Pups).

In fact, with the outboard EQ you can get this channel to cover just about any high gain territory you can think of (except maybe pure harsh industrial solid state distortion (get a metal zone or some other solid state stomp box for that ;)).

I find the MicroCab (for recording, which is my primary scenario) actually wants a little more gain/EQ than the Peavey Amp (Live). The MicroCab filters some of the Heaviness, so I actually find myself using the OD and EQ less when going to a real power amp/cab. The tube power amp on the Peavey may be playing a role here too. If I were using the MicroCab less I probably wouldn't use the external overdrive much at all.

Chorus: I like the Chorus, it's got a great sound, especially with the clean channel. I consider it kind of a bonus, since like I said, a preamp's first function isn't FX. ADA did their best to make the chorus versatile and it can be used as a notch filter, flanger, tremolo, etc, wi

So far mine has been reliable but ADA is out of business and it's a tube based unit, so it's got to be a little bit of a concern.

Like everyone here has mentioned ADA tanked but there are a lot of netters willing to help.

Been playing around 17 years and like I said, I've owned this unit long enough to be over the 'Gee-Whiz' phase.

I really love heavy guitar parts. So, IMHO, the main purpose of a preamp is to serve up vicious liquid tube gain. It's got to be able to deliver tight rhythm crunch, searing gain, and singing lead tones. The ADA does all of this and delivers crystal clean, and broken up tube blues, too. This unit has the capability to be the tone cornerstone for an ultimate high gain rig.

I'm really finally happy with my tone now and the MP-1 is really the key to it all. My tone is probably better than I'd ever imagined it being given that I never expected to be able to justify the cost of a unit like the MP-1.

The street price that these things go for nowadays makes this unit just an unbelievable value. There's really no other way to get this sweet a tube preamp with this great a tone in this price range. It's unheard of really. If this product were still being manufactured, I'm sure it'd certainly be in the same price range as still-current competing products (ie JMP-1 and friends, at least 5x what MP-1s go for on eBay). Even if you consider a gate and an outboard EQ a requirement to bring it more in line with new products it's still a killer deal! My *entire rack* including the MP-1, maximizer, microcab,
and VF-1, cost less than a single JMP-1 or Triaxis (the only competitors worth mentioning) do new.

I sent the mp1 to trace to have him add somemore gain & tighten up the bottom end some.The original ada was known for haveing a hotroded marshall tone, which I guess is why they were so popular at one time.I felt as a stand alone unit they fell just a little short as far as gain and fullness went.(kinda thin)
After Trace`s modification I have to say it sounds 137% better than before.To me it sounds like a jcm 800 with quite a bit more gain.It is much fuller than before with a good thick tubey distortion.It can now do some good heavy sounds.(priest,hammerfall,maiden,ect.)Which is what I was more after.
It is just shy of the superthick bottom mid-scooped thing.You know ,the palm mutes that burst blood vessels.I believe he could have took it there, but the unit had no space for an additional tube.Make no mistake though, he did squezze a bunch more gain out of it than before.The cleans sound rich & harmonically balanced also.
For me it fills that missing marshall void.Perhaps the amp they should have made?
If you have an mp1 & like it send it to Trace.You will like it more when it returns.

Most know all the features of the mp1.

Trace is very professional & a cool dude too.I had been stringing him along for a year or so, claiming I would soon send him something to mod for me.He always answered my emails & was a gentleman thruout.When I finally did send something I was kept up to date & it was back to me in a week.And he followed up to see how I liked it as well.Thats good service!!
Trace I will soon be sending you all kinds of older tube preamps to see what you can do w/ them.

$165.00 to make the mp1 kick tail...Can`t beat that!I`ve owned a bunch of stuff over the last 20 years of playing.This modded mp1 fills a place of its own.If they had sounded this good at first maybe they would still be in buisness.

This is where this sucker kicks in. I use a Jackson Dxmg, to a crybaby, to the mp-1, then to a Marshall 8008 valvestate power amp w/ Avatar 4x12 cab. I use this mainly for heavy metal use, aka metallica, slayer and ozzy. But, it gives great cleans, quite posibly better than any fender ive heard, especially with some chorus in the mix. It is a little noisy, but its not very bad at all. And its only noisy when you have the gains all the way up. I have presets on that sucker for Clean, to metal,and great leads. I can get a very Vai'ish lead on it. If you want a very versitale pre-amp, get this, it doesnt matter what style you play with it.

Basically : 3 modes, Dist tube, Clean Tube, Ss. with Stereo Chorus. you get 128 presets to work with. What more do you need!

I replaced the tubes when i got it. I put new groove tubes in there, to be exact, they are russian groove tubes. There is a slight problem with the input jack, but if you just keep the cord up, it's fine. Not a big deal.

Umm....... They are no longer with us.

Overall, this is the best pre-amp out there. Comparring it to "digital", which = shit, the ada kicks ass. it is equal to the tri axis, but hell of a lot cheaper. Ive been playing for 3 years, and i have had all kinds of amps and gear. This was the best investment i made. If some moron were to jack this from me, i would chase that fucker down and beat him till his jaw bone breaks into little tiny pieces.

o.k ive got this baby running thru a gunn head which has two independent channels.i take a signal from both a/b outputs and plug them into the separate channels on my head.i definatley get more body with solid tones at stage level.using the ada like this is giving me more of a mesa sound for the dirty stuff.my cleans r from solid state only as i find that the clean tube breaks up to soon.im using NO effects (apart from my wah).the fx loop gets noisy and degrades tone a little.there is a mod to bypass this at ultimatetone.com.my tubes are jj tesla's and ei's in my gunn head.im playing a standard strat with texas specials and a hotrail in the tail.ive got an alesis quad and a bbe sonic max.which i dont use now.its all tone suckin stuff.i just plug in and play now.

read the other reviews

ive had problems with my dirty channels not saturating properly,which have resulted in my heavy od channels crunching.dam dry joints

they r dead.but scope the net

been doin the covers thing for about 15yrs now.ive had my ada for 10yrs.i used to hate it with my rack gear.but ever since ive run it thru my head,its unlocked tones i never new it was capable of.would love to try a triaxis though.

Ahh young grasshoper, the tubes you choose make all the difference. I am currently using Mesa Boogie 12AX7WB (which I think are made by Sovtek). These sound great! If you can afford to, try as many different tubes until you find the ones that suit your style/sound the best. I will pass along an "unofficial" tip from one of the techs at ADA before the company dissapeared, he said that you can mix tube types (the MP-1 takes two) if need be to find "your sound". All-in-all I like the basic tone very much. It tends to be "reactive" enough to "feel right" if you are a really dynamic player, or use the volume knob as your "tone" control. The solid state sounds are fair, however they require a LOT of EQ to be usable.

Ok, so it's a tube pre-amp, that's it. No more, no less! I currently use the MP-1 as a front-end for my rig going into a Roland GP-16 (lot's 'O' FX & EQ) which is run trough an ADA Micro-Cab II (Bitchin' speaker sim). Over all it is great, but could use a more versital EQ section.

Never had a problem! Just change the tubes and be careful about putting too much stress on the 1/4" jacks, as they are notoriously flimsy.

When they were around they were great!

I've been using this thing for over ten years now, and it still works and sounds great! I have some newer modeling units (Johnson J-Station & Roland GP-100) which also sound great. But man there is something about the glowing vacum tubes in the MP-1 that have real character.

Its easy to use, but it takes some time to get the tone your after. The adjustments are very sensitive and the smallest adjustment can effect the sound. Overall, it's very easy to use.

I'm using the MP1 and a MP-1 Classic, and to be honest, I really can't tell them apart. I run them into an ADA solid state 100X100 stereo power amp and an ADA delay/echo (yea, I'm an ADA fan) and a Boss EQ and Compressor. My guitar is a Jackson Fusion Pro with a DiMarzio X2N in the bridge. Let me sum this up in one sentence. If you can't get a great sound with this preamp, you shouldn't be playing guitar .. this thing will do EVERYTHING from crystal clear to singing blues to heavy ass kicking crunch, and EVERYTHING in between.

I've had this unit forever, I change the tubes twice a year (Mesa tubes) and I've never had a problem.

Don't know ... never called 'em. Not that it really matters, they're out of business.

I don't care what kind of music you play, if you own an electric guitar, you owe it to yourself to at least try one of these .. but remember, this is a pre-amp, not an amp. So don't expect too much from the unit alone. Add an equalizer and your favorite effects to it and spend some time tweaking and you will get the tone your looking for. Be warned tho.... the MP-1 is addictive, once you nail your tone (and you will)... you'll never want to be without it.

I play Jackson guitars with EMG-81 pickups. Playing on the clean channel is tricky, as it breaks up a little too easily. I usually use the solid-state clean because the tube clean doesn't want to stay clean enough. Needless to say, I have more than enough distortion! Awesome! I run this preamp into a Marshall VS100H head and Marshall 1960A 4x12 for practice/small gigs, and into a Rocktron Velocity 300 with 2 Marshall 4x12s for the bigger gigs. The MP-1 sounds great through both these setups. Definitly needs an EQ with more bands and adjustability when going into a power amp. But if going into a regular amp head, the EQ on the head takes care of it fine.

Not perfect by no means, but I definitly am a believer in its versatlity. I play mostly metal like old Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Testament, etc, but I also diddle with Jimi, Clapton, and classical types too. I can dial in a heavy-as-hell Candlemass tone, and turn around into a smooth Yngwie tone, and then even to a Clapton tone pretty easily.

Never had a single problem with it yet, and don't expect to. I bought this used about 1 year ago, and have always used it since. Hell, I haven't even changed the tubes in it, and have no idea if they have ever been changed or when.

Actually there is pretty good support even though the company doesn't exist anymore. There are two websites I know of that have been EXTREMELY helpful with any questions regarding ADA stuff... www.ultimatetone.com and www.ada-mp1.com both have excellent support so I'm giving a seven due to no company involvement. Otherwise it would be a ten.

If I had to replace this unit, I would absolutely get another one. Been playing since '86 and I wish I had this back then! Like I said, its not perfect, but it was cutting edge technology when it first came out, and can be had for way cheap. In my opinion, it is WAY more versatile than a Triaxis, and WAY more affordable. The only big bitch I have is that the volume surges when switching between clean and distortion patches, especially if using tube clean. Thats why I'm using the solid-state cleans, as it doesn't surge so much then. You nu-metal people will probably not even look twice at an MP-1, because you think that MesaBoogie is all the shit, all because Korn and Biskit and the countless imitators use Mesa. If your lame McDonalds job will buy you the Triaxis before it goes out of style, more power to ya. The MP-1 is definitly the better deal, and you can play NOW, and upgrade later (if you really must stay with the mindless flock and have the Triaxis) rather than sit there not playing anything at all, waiting for Head and Munky themselves to place a Mesa right in your grubby hands for $120, while showing off your new piercings.

fairly simple to operate.

i'm using it through a mesa dual recitfier. I use it on the clean channel on the amp with the gain half way up and the gain on the preamp about 8 or 9. It has a chorus which i never use. it sounds ok for $50 to $100. It helps cut through a little for solos but it's not great. get a triaxis

had it a year with no problems

they no longer exist

play hard rock about 5 years. I am going to sell and buy mesa triaxis and power amp

Ok then, first of all I suppose I should detail my rig a bit (or at least the rig I started using the ADA with).


Fender Jagmaster > ADA MP1 > VS100

Give or take the occasional effects pedal (which I am now upgrading), this would have been my basic setup.

First off, let me cut to the chase and say this unit is fantastic. It can create a wide range of very cool sounds, ranging from quite sparkling clean to a very brutal and creamy distortion. The ADA was designed in the age of 80's metal, and to this extent, it's distortion is based around that very hot 'molten' sound that some people have mentioned. You can probably hear examples of this unit best on early Metallica, some Deftones stuff and the Smashing Pumpkins album 'Gish' (perhaps where it is most evident, being the only preamp or distortion Billy Corgan used). It has a very warm distortion, and the EQ brings a lot of the tonal characters out (though admittedly a 16 band EQ or similar placed before/after the preamp would bring the sounds you want out). The clean settings are usually overlooked a little by some people, because it's hard for the untrained ear to really hear the difference between good clean and bad clean (my mother doesn't care about the Solid State/Tube debate, or couldn't tell the difference between an AC-30 clean or a Marshall Park clean), and I have to admit even I am still finding my bearings with those killer tones, but on the whole the clean for this unit is good. It can sound a little sterile if you don't work with it, adding some really subtle chorus sometimes sweetens the sound, but if you work hard with the unit you can produce the sparkling clean so many guitarists search for.

If you crank the output level of the ADA, it does hiss, no mistake. It's not unbearable however, and with something like a BBE Sonic Maximizer or a DBX Spectral Enhancer, you can get rid of that hiss and brighten up the sound an enormous deal (not that it sounds bad without these units, but these extras make a great sound absolutely amazing).

Overall, again, this unit on it's own may have a few hinderances, but combined with a great guitar and amp, and importantly, a great rack system, it sounds great.

The ADA is a preamp, so to that extent it doesn't contain 'features' which would be instantly recognisable. Instead, it is an excellent and very powerful tube amp, capable of creating a lot of very diverse clean and distorted sounds. Basically, it has 3 'modes' for you to choose from: Tube Clean, Tube Dist and Solid State. In addition to these 3 modes, there is also a 3 band EQ and a rather cool chorus effect, which has quite a subtle yet wide range of use. It's fully MIDI programmable and interchangeable, has an effects loop (which incidentally, can be controlled and programmed within each preset). In addition to these major features, it also has an output level, which makes it useful for changing the volume without changing the tone. It also has speaker emulation via a 'line out' (something I have yet to try) and a headphone port (which isn't bad considering). I suppose you could nitpick, and ask for a little more from the EQ and maybe some sort of Noise Gate or compression (or at least controllable compression), but on the whole the tube preamp should really only be one section of a larger rack unit, and so to this extent I think this is a superbly constructed piece of kit.

I have had mine for maybe 9 months. It was made in the late 80's and has flown from America to Britain, and it works amazingly well. This thing is definitely the most reliable piece of equipment I have had (or rather, the one that has been most likely to let me down considering age and so forth, but has not).

ADA is dead, so it's unfair to rate them.

You'll notice I have given this unit straight marks, and I'll explain why. This unit is not perfect. You won't be able to buy this unit and create the tone you've always wanted. Instead, think of this unit as part of a whole, and not the whole itself. To make this unit sparkle, you may need a sound processor (like DBX or BBE), you may need an EQ or a Compressor, or a Noise Gate. You definitely will need a great amp. The reason I have given this unit 10 is because it does what it says on the tin, to use the phrase. It's a preamp, it comes before many other things (ideally) to create that part of the overall sound. It should be a cog in a larger machine, and only one piece of the puzzle. To that extent, this is a glorious piece of the puzzle. It can do whatever it claims to be able to do. Be warned, however, this puzzle will only fit if you have the rest of the pieces. In other words, the ADA does need some other stuff to make it shine. My advice is have a great amp and a good guitar before getting a preamp, and then, think about getting EQ or Compression. Don't overdo your setup with a 'DBB88291A Double Jiggy Noise CompGate DuoMatrix Valve Bypass' or whatever, but if I can offer any shred of advice from my experience as a guitar player, it is know that this preamp is wonderful, but also know that it is not the be all and end all to your sound, merely one section of it.

Hope I have helped, other than that, I hope this preamp gives you the hours of guitar playing joy I have had!

I'm using a Stock Ibanez RG760 with 2 single coils and an H/B into the mp-1 into a 80's Laney AOR 50 watt head and crate 4x12 cab Im using no effects as of now but plan on either running a Lexicon lxp-5 or LXP-1 for reverb and using a stereo Chandler echo or Rockman echo for time based effects in the loop, I may just get a Quadraverb 2 for all the time based effects we'll see.... should sound sweet as honey either way.
The crunch tones generated by the original MP-1 have truly become a modern classic sound. It pretty well defines the sound of the 80's shred and metal acts from Testament to Jason Becker(my favorite player ever) to a great Criss Oliva era Savatage type sound(nice tone!). Paul Gilbert used them in the Racer-x days...listen to all Cacophony and Racer-x stuff and tell me it doesn't sound kick ass!
If your into that sort of thing, there is no substitute for getting that elusive "bity" distortion and that kind of "clucky" pick attack that makes you sound faster than you may really be. It makes harmonics jump out even with my old dead strings and stock pickups, sustains for days etc etc. Makes playing easier somehow..it's got some major joojoo going on inside of it. I totally love it.
it does clean pretty well too but definately shines in it's 80's shredder guitar tone capabilties plus at fairly low volumes. (I have Jason Becker's exact setting for the mp-1 off his instructional video if anyone cares.)
I can only imagine running it into a Laney GH100l or VH100R with a full stack of 4x12 cabinets and stereo time effects with a eq and BBE....might just be better than heaven.Im saving up my pennies either way!

fairly basic as far as versatility, has usable chorus effect but is pretty versatile as far as cleans and crunch tones.

I have only had them several months. I say Them because they are history as you all know so I bought 2 of them. Nothing else does what it does so I thought I'd be safe.

n/a

I've played since 1986 or so(god Im old) and have yet to try a piece of gear so addictive. I'd buy another in a second if mine were stolen. I dont like the noise it makes but a noisegate is a cheap and effective fix.
I wish it had delay built in instead of chorus, I never really use chorus.

Excellent for metal, heavy. The clean channel breaks up at higher volumes. Not bad though. Best distortion i can find when used with a tube power amp. (peavey 50/50) and cheap!

Not a whole lot of features, but it does do its job. I have boss GT-6 for everything else. Great distortion for heavy music and a good analog chorus. Bought it used 2 years ago and still runs perfect.

Very reliable. Used it for 2 years so far no problems. Have played w/o backup.

ADA? Out of business. Good luck on that one. Manual is good though.

Been playing for 5 years and this is a great preamp if used with a tube poweramp. Best distortion for the money. I would more than likely buy another one if i could find one.
My gear:
Ibanez 7421
Boss GT-6
Boss BF-2
Boss DS-1 (dont buy this)
Ada MP-1
ADA MC-1 (foot controller although i dont use it now that i have GT6)
Peavey 50/50 Power amp
Carvin MTS 2x12 Cabinet

It sounds ok on it's own, but i need to run a parametric eq in the effects loop and a sonic maximizer as well, to get any real balls out of it. I power this with a mesa simul 2:90. Now, anyone looking to buy this unit, please read the following statement very carefully:
YOU NEED TO MATCH THIS UP WITH A GOOD ALL TUBE PREAMP AND A GOOD SPEAKER CAB!!! Very important! I had this thing sitting in my closet for years, because I thought it sucked. At the time, I was using a solid state poweramp and a shitty 2x12 cab. I recently had to dig it out; as my tremoverb was being re tubed, and I hooked it up to the mesa 2:90, a rectifier 4x12 cab and the sonic maximizer, along with a furman parametric eq in the effects loop. I can get a really good sound with this combination, from old school Metallica(ride the lightning era) to modern crunch(if I scoop the shit out of the mids with the furman). A lot of people like this sound that I've concocted. The best part is, u can pick this preamp up for under $200 on ebay. Just know that you WILL need outboard gear to make it sound awesome. By itself, it won't hold up to todays standards. You need to remember that this preamp was from the 80's, a lot has changed since then as far as tone goes.

From what understand, this was based on the preamp section of a marshall plexi? Maybe, I don't know? I love the chorus on this though.

so far so good. Put some good 12ax7's in it though.

they no longer exist. They should start the company up again and create a new preamp to rival what's out on the market now.

like I said, it doesn't hold up on it's own. A sonic maximizer, a parametric eq, a good tube power amp and a good speaker cab, and you'll be happy.

This maybe tube, but it's a slightly weaker sound. Don't expect this to sound like an all tube head by any means. Unless you don't care about that warm tube sound, you'll need a good power amp to back this thing up. The distortion on this is unlike modern hi gain, which sounds too buzzing for me. The dist. is somewhat like a high gain Marshall, which is pretty cool. The solid state voicing is completely pointless, and the clean tube isn't that clean at all. This doesn't matter to me, but this isn't a country preamp, that is for sure.

Wow, the features. This has 2 12ax7 tubes, making it a hybrid preamp. Its MIDI, with a 128 programmable channels. It has two variations of overdrive, a master gain, 4 band eq, FX loop, chorus effect, and a headphone jack. Unfortuately, you can only move the eq's in set intergers, (4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16), without being able to access the numbers in between those. But overall, that probably doesn't make that much of a difference in your final tone. This has a clipping meter so you can see if gain or eq or overdrive are causing unwanted noise, which is very helpful. A large output knob controls the volume. There are three mode voices: overdrive, clean (to crunch), and solid state clean.

I haven't had it long enough to know, but this thing looks pretty beat up on the surface and it still starts up everytime! I am planning on gigging w/o a backup.

Isn't the company defunct now? Don't expect much support!

For the money, I don't think there is a better buy. In fact, you have to spend a ton of money to get even close to a better one. This isn't without its own issues. Why put 128 MIDI channels on a preamp, isn't that a bit excessive? ADA should have invested their time into adding a couple of more tubes and ditched the MIDI interface altogether! Also, what is it to have chorus but no reverb? Why not make an amp with whammy but no treble knob? I would however still buy a new one if something happened to this - well a new used one I mean.

my god this ADA mp1 is the shiznit. Very versatile, can make it sound like any amp just need to mess around with it pretty simple to work

im using a schecter c1 with seymour duncan distortion pickups. My style is metal, classical music and blues and jimi hendrix he rules. It is noisy on the gain hella feedback im planning on buying a bbe sonic maximizer 482 and a super hush c which will clean it up i gave it a 9 for the feedback. Oh yeh, for all those old farts who say it sucks only korn fans will use it. Stfu respect music bitches things change deal with it. It would be kinda boring hearing the same style over isnt it let shit blend im 17 but i know alot about music already

this shit is tight it will be fine if u take care of it only thing u will have to worry about is tubes they die quick on this sucker i say u would change them like twice a year

they got hit by a car there dead!!!

ive been playing for 3 years n sept 24 ive just bought other gear to this of course a mesa boogie 50/50 and some effects and a mesa boogie rect cab trust me that ada sounds best on those cabs tried marshall, too dry and thin. wish it had its own noise gate but not the end of the world

Its really simple to use and setup if you read some sections in the manual. Its the first time i see somthing that has a manual that actully helps. Nothing about it that is strage. same eq in every amp or pre-amp.

Just sit with it for a bit and turn it loud and play and you will be able to set it up to the sound you like.

I also got the ADA MC-1 Midi controller with it the day i bought it and it makes using it even easier.

I am really happy i got one. I can get pretty heavy sounds out of it. my current setup is:
ADA MP-1
ElectroVoice 30 bands graphic eq
Peavey Classic 60/60
and i just had to spend somtime with it to get a good sound, can always use a new patch with good sound but at the moment i am happy with mine. The Chorus on it is also great, i sold my CE-2 which i really loved and i am using the MP-1 chorus now. Can get really nice sounds by mixing, and can use the Chorus on it as a flanger and can set its speed the way i like it.

very reliable, i can depend on it when it comes to rehearsing and playing live. I would love to have a backup but for sure i will get another one once i have enough money and complete my rack setup.

Never dealt with ADA

I play Heavy Metal/Thrash Metal and it does the job for me. I also play covers and it does all the stuff i need well.

Very Very easy. Bank up and down buttons, 9 or 10 channel select buttons, the bank changes the 1st digit in the number then u hit on of the other numbers for the 2nd/3rd digit, like you bank up to "3" and then hit "3" button and your on channel "33" simple enough??? Then for the Effect Editing you hit "edit" do the 2 overdrive selections, the master volume, if you want put in chorus (which sounds very great, i got an identical sound to the clean parts in Cemetary gates by Pantera with it, sounds awsome!) you got a 4 band EQ, Bass, Mid, Treble and presence and the FX loop, i usually put it on just in case i wanna use the loop rather then having to go in and edit that to ON. but nonetheless it's simple anyways. Then you got your Volume and your set.

As for the back, its very self explanatory. You can also Input in the back if you want, then you got output A and B into your power amp or what not (i have a Peavey 60/60, everything tube, so nice) You gave the FX loop Recive etc... then you have another level (sensitivity) knob in the back for your likings and that's pretty much it. I got it without the manual which i got 2 weeks later and i had figured the whole thing out within the 1st few minutes anyways.

Sounds awsome!!! The dist.'s in it are great, u can get the massive PanterA sound to the nice calm sound and also very awsome clean tones. I mainly play Heavy metal and such on it so im not sure how someone who plays like.. folk or funk or whatever else would say but i bet they could definately get a great sound out of it to thier liking. as for metal, I SURE DID! I have randy rhoads, van halen, metallica, pantera, zakk wylde, MuDvAyNe etc presets in it i made and got patches online and they all sound great. The only problem with my set up is that when i put it loud i can get annoying feedback, i hooked up my fuzz pedal and turned it down and i use it as a mute pedal. I bet the Rocktron super Hush C would solve this problem but i need to get that. This may be because of my power amp, i dont know but its either 60 or 120 watts i think, i need more power! hehe... well not really but it may be halpful. I play loud... very loud. My band is a loud band and what may be "loud" to someone with this poweramp will not be for me. But it works great nonetheless. I give the ADA a 9 here because of the feedback at high levels.

It is very relaibe so far. I got it used from my guitar teacher whom i can trust so i wasnt nervous about the buy buthe had it for 10 years or so, he bought it new. then i got it and it works as great as it ever did. Even though ADA isnt here anymore i still trust the MP-1 not to fail me and it wont. If anything ever happened to it i would with out a doubt find another one. I want to get another one off of eBay because in the future they will probably either be MAD hard to find and expensive or in crappy condition. So i want the 2nd one if i ever need it in the future and i guess ever my 1st one ever fails live but i doubt it would.

I am not going to rate this because ADA isnt here anymore and that soundnt bring down this unit because of that. its a great unit and will always be. but a GREAT unoficial ADA site that is helkpful is www.ultimatetone.com

The Mp-1 is fantastic. it's tube, geat sound, has Clean tube and Dist tube settings and a SS (solid State) effect but who the hell wouldnt want the tubes?!?!?) I would recomend this to everyone... no wait i wont, it sucks dont buy it!! (leave them there so i can have some before they run out) ;)

i have an hm strat and a standard strat with a hotrail in the tail.i use clean and dirty all the time.tubes are a big thing and finding the right combo can b a nitemare.ei tubes sound great but dont seem to work well with this unit which is a shame as the tones are very solid.12ax7eh electro harmonix have heaps of gain but r a little thin.sovtek 12ax7wa/wb suck big time so forget it.the stock tubes are also pretty sterile sounding.groove tubes have good gain but tend to break up a little sooner than the others i've tried.i'm yet to try tesla's jj ecc83's but apparently they work well with the ada.the overdrive on this unit is brown.with the exception of big scooped mids which yield a metallica type tone.overall i cant get to much variation without that brown sound being there.the clean is very toppy and i feel this unit needs an outboard eq.as this unit just dosent have enuff onboard eq.the chorus on my unit is passable, nothing great.the biggest dirty tones i'm getting are from setting the od1 from between 2.0 to 4.0 max and then cranking od2 to around 5.0 to 6.5.i've found that i still get plenty of face that way.but what ever you do tweak your tones at stage volume as this units tone verys heaps from your output volume.

i play covers from 60's classics to the latest chart releases.i use solid state clean and tube distortion only as i find the clean tube a bit harsh and brittle.solid state compressors differently to what ever tube you seem to be using at the time.the fx loop only sux away your tone,so try and avoid it.the in/output jacks are crappy plastic things that should be replaced when u have enuff $$.programming is straight forward,just bcareful when tweaking things 'live' as its real easy to push the button next door when saving a patch.god help you if that happens!!

hasnt broken down yet,i've had to replace a few switches on the fly.

you'll have to surf the net for that one

i've been playing for 17 years and have had this unit for about 12yrs.if it were stolen i'd maybe look at something else.maybe something more compact e.g.combo.im currently using-
ada mp1
furman pq4
alesis quad
bbe sonic maximiser 362
marshall el34 50/50
trace elliot 2x12
loaded with celestion vintage 30's

Anyone who said it doesn't sound good is smoking crack. I'm running a '68 strat reissue with hot rail in the bridge to the MP-1, with a Lexicon effects unit in the loop, and a cheap-o Alesis EQ post preamp, all pumping through an 800 watt SWR bass power amp into a full stack. That's right, you heard right, a bass power amp. Blistering distortion, sparkling cleans, and beefy crunch is what I hear. Sure, it's a little noisy, but man, it screams. All the versatility I need. I have about 5 patches that I use most often - a grinding low-end distorted rhythm sound (ala ...and justice for all), a delay-drenched lead setting that cuts through the mix like a hot knife through your momma, a slightly overdriven bluesy sound with a little help from the Lexicon's flanger, my shimmery cascading delayed clean sound, and my spanky chorusy funk clean sound. The EQ help big time with putting the tone alltogether, but I do nothing special -just scoop the midrange and boost the lows and highs smoothly along the EQ faders. The parametric on the MP-1 is pretty much flat, except the distortion setting I use have a bit of bass boost. I never had to tinker for hours or pull my hair in frustration, this thing just simply rocks. Of course if you compare it an SVT or a Mesa, it pales a bit, but with an amp head, where's the versatility? I'm sticking to my dated rack setup - so there. :)

MIDI, effects loop, chorus, what more is there to say? Perfect place to start in your rack. After this, all you need is some effects through the loop, and EQ, and a power amp with enough headroom...

Hasn't failed me in 5 years. I beat the shit out of it.

I think they died in a bizzare gardening accident.

If it was stolen I'd hunt the burglar down and beat him to death with it. Then I'd buy another cause it'd prolly be all fukked up. Damn cheap cheap on ebay. I love that i was cheap, hasn't broke down, and sounds good.

Guitars-How many do you have I collect them about 30 at this time
I wouldn't trade it for the world Use it mor them my boogie, Fender, and Laney combine Still use my marshell in the studio for leads
mine is noisy now that I broke the headphone jacklast week thats O.K. Ihave a week off coming and its an esay fix.
I gett all the tones I need I woud stay away from high pre volums on the clean tube it gets rough at about 5.5 and 6 perspectively
could use more O.D. but that what my T.S. 808 is for.

made in mid-late 80s
I play in three Soon to four bands -punk,70s rock,R&B-ala ohio players to Earth wind &fire, and Heavy Metal. It does it all and well I use about 40 settings of the 128
It would be nice to have some verb and another Effect loop.
I use mostly the tube setting but the ss has cool grit ala Radiohead

Get plenty of replacement jacks and trade out the ax7.s for au7.s or at7.s other then that rack it and leave it

Ultimatetone.com None other avalable

Got this thing from Goerge Lynch about 3 yrs. ago still my no.1 pre amp

Very easy to use. I have heard alot of people say the sound is 'thin'. The presets suck, big time, but if you tweak it it will sound unbelievable!!!! I have own every amp under the sun, and most preamps. This this is amazing! I play death metal and I can get the heaviest, thickest yet clearest distortion I have ever heard, hands down! Do yourself a favor though and use an EQ, it will do wonders. I picked this up off eBay for $130.00, the best money I have ever spent on my rig. BUY ONE!!!!!

Simply unbelievable. If you don't believe me, pick one up. E-mail me if you want some good settings....trust me. A bit noisey, nothing a good hush unit cant fix though.

I remember finding the tone a bit on the rough, but thin in a weard way, side.
This amp was used by alot of the hard core shredders due to the good attack and the crisp tone.
I, on the other hand, found it really hard to use without a good EQ when playing rythm guitar.(which most people do about 95% of the time)
The clean sounds of the mp-1 is where I think the amp really sounds best. It has a very warm and thick tone which I have used alot over the years.
My main amp today is the Mesa Boogie Triaxis, which has a much broader register of use, but the again, maybe it's a bit unfair to compare them without taking the price into the equation. Therefor the mp-1 gets as high ratings as an eight from me.

I bought my ADA MP-1 back in the late 80s and at the time it was a really mean futuristic peace of work. I had, before this, never used midi to control my whole rig and this feature in the mp-1 was really a huge step forward for me. I also bought the midi foot controller for it and this was a really poorly made peice with a very plastic feeling to it.
At the time I was very much into late 80's hard rock and heavy metal and for these styles the amp was very good.

I think I was abit unfortunate when i bought my mp-1 since during the first two years I had it, it broke down severely twice leaving me ampless for quite some time both times. Since the mixture of old tube and the (new) midi technology was new to most repair shops at the time I had to wait several months each time it broke down.
I have alot of friends that also bought the mp-1 without any problems at all.

I only delt with my local music dealer at the time when I had all the trouble with the amp and even though I had wait for it everytime it broke down, the sympathy from the dealer gave me alot of nice opportunities for great bargains. (always something)

As a conclusion I must say that the mp-1 was a really nice groundbreaking guitar amp that I think, one day, will be a classic amp.
Even though I don't really use it nowdays I haven't for one second been thinking of selling it.

v2.01

My signal chain: Ibanez S540fm --> Roland GP100(loop: ADA MP-1 --> Hush 2CX ) --> Peavey Classic 50/50 --> Peavey 4x12

This is the ADA MP-1. It has a distinct signature sound which is along the lines of a very hot rodded Marshall. I owned one of these back in 1992 and since selling it, I've owned and played a Peavey Rockmaster, a Bogner/Hafler Triple Giant, and a Rocktron Piranha, each for about 3 years -- all fine preamps.

I know I'm not happy with my tone when I'm spending alot of time tweaking EQ. The Piranha was the preamp I used before getting the MP-1 and is still in the other FX loop so I can A/B them to make direct comparison by using a footswitch.

I started looking for a new tone when I auditioned a Mesa Dual Recto and it was the *opposite* of what I was looking for. In fact, it had more of what I dont like in the Piranha, which is that heavy "sandpaper"/fuzz sound (I've spent alot of time trying to EQ it out) Thats when I decided I needed to look to my roots and the gear that was popular in the late 80s, early 90s.

The MP-1 is a high-gain preamp, but its gain is differnt from alot of the amps that are in vogue (Mesa Rectos) these days. Instead of sounding like a "deep hyper fuzzbox", the MP-1 sounds like "molten tube". It is very sensitive to pick attack with a wide open sound. I have played with several differnt tubes types and found that the quality of the tubes makes a huge difference in the amount of noise and quality of sound produced. It currently has Groove tubes ECC83's in it. It needs a HUSH or a gate afterwards if used with high gain settings.

People are picking these up as "retro" preamps to try and get an 80's sound (LOL) though I think there are more early 90's albums that this was used on.

As soon as I got this, I knew I had come ALOT closer to my signature sound (INSTANT SMILE, repeat, INSTANT SMILE) and find I'm using much less Parametric. At cranked volume, this thing seems to work better with the PV amp/cab and maintains a sharp, manageable (but not thin) tone, where the Piranha will "fart" and cause the speakers to do unfriendly things. It also sounds a bit more "alive" than the Piranha. Its not as fuzzy, the gain is more a part of the tone as opposed to something that was layered on top.

People talk about signature sounds and are always trying different pre-amps in the quest for their tone. I would recommend this pre-amp for anyone who is not caught in the current trend of nu-metal and who appreciates an ability to shred. This thing was the original shred-machine used by many top players. Its sound is no less timeless than a JCM800. The MP-1 never really fell out of favor, except for the 90's when grunge was king and anything more complicated than a half-stack paid for with your parent's credit card was considered evil.

This unit has definitely been used and has many battle scars. I'd say its held up well although I dont know what repairs its needed over its 10 years of service.

The 1/4 input jack on the back is flaky and needs to be resoldered or replaced when I get around to it.

Unfortunatly, the company went out of business. If you gig with this machine, I'd buy 1 or 2 backups.

I love the dual gain (OD1,OD2) structure and the placement of the EQ bands. They are right on the money for the tones I use.

I'm going to get another one of these and run in parallel with the first. I hope I have the money for a few more before they become hard to find.

Once I sat down and read the manual and played around a little bit, I could pretty much coax anything I wanted out of it. All the settings (from straight tone to tweaking the chorus) are relatively easy to do. Nothing fancy like the Digitechs or Lexicons or nothing like that.

I like the sounds I get from this...mainly because there's not much you can't get from it. I've used it in jazz venues, blues venues, and , of course, rock/metal venues. The main reason I bought this was because I wanted to leave my chorus pedal at home (the only effect I use) and it works perfectly for me.
Solid states work fine for the new age music (specially the solid state dirt...can you say Korn!)...the solid state clean is nice, although I prefer the tube setting.
Tube Settings are money...the tube distortion is breathing and on fire, nice. Although, if you're under neon lights, man, this thing makes a LOT of noise. A noise gate is a necessity for this thing, recording or performing out alot. You can get by without, but it sure is nice not to hear HMMMMMMMMMM. :)LOL.
The tube clean is nice, sparkly, kinda reminds me of my Fender Bassman. With the chorus added, I love it to death.
I mainly run a Soloist through it, and sometimes a Charvel Fusion.
It really shines when I do 80's metal (Van Halen, Ratt, Bon Jovi, Dokken, Poison) covers.
I have a Line6 POD and I use it some...it's nice to record with (no noise at all!) , but the (distorted) tones aren't as "alive"... and editting the chorus on the POD is alot more work:)
For the money it costs, it's a great value...holds it's own with about any preamp I've tried! (tonewise...noisewise, not so well;)

I've heard horror stories, but I've had this a little over 2 years (I'm the 3rd owner of it). I think it was an early one. It's held together for me just fine.

ADA's dead, end of story.

This is a piece of gear that's well worth a try, especially for the price. Not something you'll regret buying.

I use and ESP: LTD Viper 300 with a duncan custom at the bridge w/ coil tap. I play mostly metal, but I also do a lot of blues, classic rock, soft rock, pretty much everything. This thing can do any style I play through it, it's quite versitale that way which is why I bought it. Like I said before, it is noisy on high gain sounds. The clean can distort if you turn up the ODs on it too high. The distortion can be quite harsh to the ears at high volumes if it's not EQ'd w/ the treble and presence down. Takes LOTS of tweaking to get it just right! I'm still making small parameter changes each band practice.

Schematics were written in '87... mine is the old one... so I'm betting late '88 or something. This thing is perfect. 128 patches is well over what I need. I have the MC-1 foot controller for it and it is very versitale live. I play lots of styles, but mostly shredding metal. This thing is very cool as it has an effects loop that can be on or off depending on how you have it set for the patch. So let's say you have a noise gate in the MP-1's loop, you only will need the gate for distorted sounds... so you have the effects loop on for the distorted sounds and off for the clean sounds. The headphone jack is cool so you can get tube tones early in the morning (neighbors like that but haven't told me yet :) It's got stereo chorus built into it. It's a really good chorus too. It has tube and solid state preamps. The solid state is only for clean and it has a compressor for the solid state mode. Tube has clean and distorted settings. The MP-1 rebiases the tubes for the clean and distorted modes. I wish it had a noise gate in it so I didn't have to spend money on an external gate, this thing can get pretty noisey but I am quick on the volume knob so it's cool.

Hasn't broken down on me yet. It's over 10 years old and it's still kickin. The guy I bought it from did say he had to resolder the front input jack. That seems to have been a chronic problem for the first MP-1s made. The newer ones had a more rugged input jack. Just don't yank and jiggle the damn cable! If you're gentle w/ the cable (which is always wise) it's gonna last. I'll give it a 9 since the input jack has broken before.

ADA is gone, so you can't get any. Though, people I know that did deal with them when ADA was around said they were very good. The techs themselves would talk to you about your unit that's getting fixed. They were also very helpful and honest. It's too bad ADA went out of business.

I've been playing 6 years. Like I said earlier I have the MC-1 foot controller for it. The MP-1 also has I believe the newest software that was made for it: version 2.01. I love how it sounds so damn good and how versital it is. I got it for cheap, and I'm gonna take care of it to make it have a long life. I was considering the Mesa/Boogie Triaxis, but this thing's price is way better and tone quality is comparable. If it becames unplayable I would search for another. But I may go for something else, since ADA isn't around and the MP-1 is so old. I'd like to have an MP-2 they were much more feature filled than the MP-1.

Guitars have been flying V, fender strat, Music Man EVH, Music Man Silhouette, Ibanez 7 string, Hamer Explorer, Dean EVO Les Paul, Dean EVO 7 string all with high output humbuckers (Bill Lawrence XL-500s.) Suites my stlye of playing for over 13 years now. From punk, cover bands, death rock, to worship music at church to heavy riff thrashing, it is a fine chameleon for any type of music. Can be noisy if Master Volume is too high and either OD 1 set too low for poor output signal. Start from 5 or 6 on OD1, OD2, and Master Vol, then fiddle with the gain from there.

I agree with most users here, by itself it is very midrange oriented, put a BBE Sonic Maximizer in it's EFX loop and it really brings the MP1 to the life, cleans out any harsh overtones or shrills and adds warmth to sound. Definately get a BBE or EQ of some sort to harness the tone in this unit.
After years of using it, the tubes were never changed. Just recently the tubes started screaching and were replaced...ooops Sovtek is noisy....thanks Lighting Joe's Guitar Center for selling me noisy tubes!!! Anyway, experiment with tubes until you find what you like. The screach is gone, but the hum is there. Finds hum and interference really easily. Grab a Noise Gate for live because each venue has it's sonic challenges. It is now quiet between palm mutes and is friendly when hard disk recording too.
As for what sounds the amp can make? Pretty much gets close to whatever style you are into at the time. Really recommend you understand how to program it first, the presets are not very desirable. The clean is adequate, especially if you have a decent strat with single coils and hum cancelling. The overdrive is comparible to the newer sounds of today with bands like Bizkit, Metallica, Korn, Static X, etc. But to be honest there is not as much headroom for gain as the newer amps of today...even though it has been pigeon holed has a Hair Metal 80s-90s sounding preamp, I have found it can play contemp sounding styles of distortion and have enough harmonic balance and gain to keep up with models of marshalls. But still, not bad for a 14 year old unit. Definately more versitile and better than a stomp box.
I find it stays clean even at high volumes, but there again it all depends on your guitar, it's wood, pickups, amp and speakers.
How brutal is it? HHHhmmmmm . In the right hands, one could record with it in a studio and no one would ever know the difference between it and a marshall, especially if you have a tube power amp. I bet Kirk Hemmett could hide the unit behind his boogeys, play a show and you'd never know. :) He obviously used it for Justice for All.

It may have come out 1989 or 90? Saw it preview at NAMM show. Clean, OD1, OD2. Good 128 MIDI switching expecially when complimented with ADA footswitch...tuff and sturdy, works well. Very versitile for many different styles and sounds. Plays most styles of music very well. EFX loop, headphone jack (buzzy), wish it had compression in OD2, and noise gate. Decent Chorus. Use this amp for everything. Good signal output for rest of my rack to use.

Can I depend on it? I am the only owner of this unit, bought it brand new and up until one month ago, it never had anything go wrong, be it live or studio! I finally clued up to change the tubes out when they started screeching. Maybe I just got lucky, but even with the old cheesy input jack, it has never given me crap. Watch it break now!

don't know. went to the UnOfficial ADA sites for advice on repair. The local guitar shop seems to have the parts I need. Besides, I have a spare MP1 for parts.

I guess I've been playing non stop now for 21 years now. As for other gear? Been thru a lot and seen and heard a lot. Been basically all rack mount since 1990, ADA MP1 preamp, BBE 411 Sonic Maximizer in EFX loop, Alesis Quadraverb (the first one) for EFX, ADA Microcab for recording DI and live (no micing!!!!), Carver PM 120 power amp, and Marsall 4x12 cab all being power protected by RackRider in SKB case.
Would I replace it? That depends. I am moving off rack mounts and back to a simpler setup...just a marshall head into a marshall cab...might use the Alesis for EFX. Getting tired of rack after all these years and seems like there is always something else to add...kind of expensive after awhile. But if I were ever to go back to rack again, I would definately get a couple of these MP1s again. I had a really good experience and would replace them if they were stolen.
As to what I love about it? I guess the ability to play really any style I was in the mood for or whatever type of band I was in I could pull off without a hitch..very versitile amp. I chose the MP1 because the JMP1 by Marshall was not out yet and the whole rack thing was new back in 1990. I also got tired of pedals scattered on the floor and the batteries dying or power packs being a big mess. Rack mount consolidated everything. Plus I heard it at the NAMM show and was impressed and my buddy had bought his ADA MP1 and brought it in playing through a 100watt amp and ampeg 4x12...very impressive at the time.
I wish it had a noise compressor like the MP2, and also a stereo EFX loop, the better input jack, and maybe smaller jumps between numbers when adjusting EQ, but again, this was the first version and was a great beginning for ADA. Too bad they are no longer around.
Final thoughts? After reading the other reviews of this amp, I can only really encourage others who are considering this amp is to really research and get all the info you can about it. This review section is a great place to start. So is the UnOfficial ADA site. But look around and make sure it is what you want, not because your hero or some stranger says it's great.
Finally, it really is hard to compare one brand of amps to another. It really seems like it comes down to your fingers. I sound like me on any guitar going through any amp anywhere I go....and I think that is a good thing. Probably because we all have our "sonic tendencies" be it scooped distortion or meaty midranges, saturated gain to tight thumping crunch.
Bottom line, if you are a distortion freak like the rest of us here in this review area, and you are on a budget and can't afford even a used high piece of gear like the mesa boogey, marshall, hughes and kettners, etc....then I'm thinking this little ADA MP1 is a good place to start. If you don't like it for whatever reasons, then sell it again...most of you guys here bought it used anyway. There is no shortage of players here who would love to by your ADA MP1 if you don't like it. And i think that alone says something about ADA and the MP1 preamp.

I play a Strat with two dual humbuker and single coil in the center, smoke with my setup. I rack is as follow:
ADA-MP1 preamp
Alesis Quadraverb Plus Effect Prosesor
BBE Stero Exiter
Randall 2x80 Power Amp(Solid State)
Marchall 2x12(I love it)
Midi controler

At this point I'm happy with my system, but if there is any body knows tricks I can use to get the very best of I have please send me a email. I have done at much that I know, I will like experiment new setups.

Have to be 80's unit, you know the fixture of this unit so I don't will make comment about it. I play a littler bit on everything, pop, R&B, Jazz, Rock, but most of the time I use my clean and then switch to a power distortion or a lead distortion and go back to clean. Is been working for the last 5 year great. No complain, everybody I play with they have to say something about my tone, I thing is big and swit. I get this particular unit beacuse the price and was midi, no regrets. I put a new 12AX7 NOS tubes I fount on the Ultimate Tone WEB side last year, WOW!!, I can beleave the improments.

No problems so far.

RIP ADA. That's sat.

Like I say, I'm very happy with this unit. I just will like to learn new techniques for this unit since so many people use it. Thanks

The sounds in this Preamp run the gamut from Roland Jazz Chorus Clean(I Like that sound)to Brutal Metallica type Rythym and then into Midrange Growly Solo territory.Great unit that does a Few things Very well.No complaints here...it justtakes a little tweaking to dial in somehappening tones(although they are really geared towards the Heavy Rock/Metal type pallettes).
This unit Can get a little noisy on high gain settings but no worse than the VHT Ultra-Lead and at $2,000 less.

Wanna know a little trick to copping some fantastic Warmer/Rounder Heavy Rock Tone...? swap out the 12AX7s for 12AT7s or 12AU7s and you'll find some Great sounds with less noise and a warmer gain scenario.It will still get a very Heavy Metal type tone but with a smoother gain curve and silkier high end.

The clean channel on the tube setting is also very warm and round-with some "grit"in it.....just how I like it.When Pushed "HARD" it distorts but in a musical way.The Solid State clean tones are workable and very "shimmery"(Ok...glassy and Clean is a better description)
If you need more Distortion in an Amplifier/Preamp than this little Beast coughs up.....you need a BOSS Metal Zone and a Hearing aid.

This particular unit was manufactured in the Month of October in 1988.
I've had it since new.I also own another that I bought for $100.00 with the MC-1 midi Controller along with it about 3 years ago-I couldn't pass up a bargain.Cant beat that price for sure.
If 80s & 90s Metal and Hard Rock are your thing....this is a Hard Preamp to beat.I Own the Custom Audio Electronice/Bradshaw 3+ and 3+SE Preamps and a pair of Bogner Fish Preamps.
While Not as refined sounding as either the Bradshaw or bogner....the ADA is a Fine unit at a 10th of the cost.It WONT replace My Bradshaws or Bogners but I'll always have a use for the ADA.It's simply the "staple" Metal/Heavy Rock Preamp and has been for over a decade.

The Unit is very versatile IF....IF YOU POWER IT WITH A GOOD TUBE POWER AMP.I use the VHT 2150.There is NO Better power amp than the VHT 2150.
The MP-1 will respond to Dymanics,EQ,and Gain changes very well with a good tube power amp behind it.thats the KEY to getting useable,Versatile Organic tones out of it.
Its got 128 channels of MIDI and another neat feature is the ability ot assign the FX Loop to ANY channel.If you are using a Processor then just program ALL the patches in the ADA to have the loop on and swith the patches on your FX unit & assign it to the patches you want in the ADA.There are Midi In/Out/Thru ports on the MP-1 and an FX Level on the Loops Return.There is also a headphone jack on the unit as well.
I DONT need the headphone input on it.Nice touch,but not necessary.
The Tube voicings are really nice.They work well,and at the price I paid it's absolutely a Scream.The Chorus on the clean Solid State side works very nice as well.I DONT really care for Solid State,but it's a necessity on this unit since the tube "headroom" doesn't let you dial up CLEAN/LOUD Tube tones like a Fender twin.
Mind you....this isn't a Fender twin-but the Solid State cleans in this unit are very pleasing to me.I have NO Use for a Fender of any kind....I like the grit and sparkle of the ADA much better for the few clean tones I need.
i used these preamps when they first came out as My ONLY Preamps along with Power amps for my rig.They are now occasionally used for recording and as "back-up" preamps in my Live Racks that hold my Bradshaw/Bogner stuff.
Like I said above...NO BETTER "Bang for the BUCK" in anything I've yet to hear or play thru.Not in this price range...and it's Real Tube too!

Mine have been running for 10 years + and without a cough,sputter,or hiccup.NOT even as much as a blown Fuse.Pretty Impressive.

I have used em for years before I could afford the More expensive Preamps I now use....and I wouldn't hesitate to use the ADAs for another 10.
I have about 100 of those 3 volt Lithium batteries that are used for Memory Storing the patches(My Bradshaw RSB-18f Switching System uses the same batteries,so I have em for my needs and Customers)Those are essential for the MP-1 Owner to have.
It's practically the ONLY Thing that might break(besides the older 1/4 input jack for the guitar chord).I installed the newer input jacks on both of mine-the ones with the locking ring and flying leads to the circuit board,instead of the cheesy Circuit board mounted older input jack box.
Reliability record....? I HAVE to give it a 10 Dude.No Shit!

Non Existent.I Once received literature and some other stuff from them and then they Vanished.Been Out of Buisness for nearly 5 years ...maybe longer?
I still have the original warranty card from my 1st one.Guess I dont need it huh?
Oh God PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE bring back the Hair METAL DAYS

OVERALL RATING.......DEAD SOLID 8 .Great value for the $ they are getting for them now.Best kept secret in tube preamp for 80s/90s Metal on a budget.
Budget....shit I spend MORE on picks in 2 months than what this preamp cost.IF You See one advertised that works 100%(and Most do)
BUY IT.
It WONT Put Bradshaw & Bogner out of business,but they BOTH have said these units are virtually a Necessity at $100/$150 a pop.
This preamp will DESTROY ANY Boutique Overdrive/Fuzz/Distortion pedal ever made.That alone makes it a worthy purchase.

I DONT Lose Equipment.Thats a Fact.(silly question)Hey Bob...you see my rack dude...? Shit I think I Lost it.
And Nothing I Own is worth some Dumb Thieves life.(I hope they realize it).

Factory Presets are weak, Metallica "Justice For All" dead on when programmed right. Manual is long but simple. Hate for the lithium battery to go out as you will lose all your beloved presets. I have the original MP1 ver 1.37..hey it was 7-$800 when originally came out...I got it used for $350 10 yrs ago.

Ok here is where any good ANALOG preamp can be judged. I tried this with a solid state amp and it is no comparison when used in conjunction with a good TUBE power amp. Currently, I use an old Marshall 9000 series 50/50 stereo. This is an excellent combination for the money. Sounds about as good or better than any preamp I have ever used/heard. At first listen you go...wow there's something there but not quite sure if it's truly great until you tweak it to your liking. I added an Alesis MEQ-230 and it definitely spiced/hotrodded up the tone. I've read using a BBE or parametric takes it even further but I still think simplicity rules here. It's always smooth, warm, nasally (strat squak), fat & compressed, harmonically rich tone. Can be weak with the wrong equipment and based soley on factory presets. Solid State clean is also welcomed but different on a tube preamp. Don't look for effects here, chorus is passable, nothing great but you want to use this preamp mainly dry. Add a dash of BOSS or TS electronics flanger for some good old Van Halen or Dokken. I have used a Kramer, Strat, Ibanez, Guild and all sound just like they should through this unit. Finally, try some really expensive tubes in it. I know there will be critics due to this remark but I did notice some improvement after replacing the stock "National" euro 12ax7's. If there over 2 yrs old, get some new ones...especially some low noise. I tried GE nos american made but opted for ultra low noise Chinese Golden Dragons(RIP). STAY AWAY FROM SOVTEK PREAMP TUBES IN THIS UNIT. Also mix and match as there is a volume tube and distortion tube which yield different results. Use tweak compound on tube pins....remember..these are all just tweaks. I can say that in 10yrs I have never heard anyone complain about my tone...people actually ask me how to get my sound. Oh, they didn't complement me one my playing so I can't brag in that department. Also use high end cables, get rid of those chincy $4 music store brands.

Ok here's the lowdown. The input jack is soldered directly onto the PCB. It is a medium grade piece of plastic that will flex into a lose, cracked, desoldered annoying piece of shit. I recommend you wrap your guitar cord around your rack or the unit to releive any live playing accidental stress. One other thing, I think ADA knew about these jacks as the later models have a large circular plastic ring around the jack..like the 2.0 ver. I replaced mine but you must get an original part, 6-8 pins of soldering. Otherwise it's bullet proof. Onboard battery hasn't died in over 10 yrs!(watch it go tommorow)

n/a....RIP ADA.

STYLE MATCH - Metallica, Van Halen, Dokken, Ozzy, Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, are there any other 80's bands that mattered? Ok maybe Ratt and Yngwie. Let me add that this thing can do blues...SRV anyone.
PLAYING - Forever a wanna-be.
GEAR - Having a good ear is expensive, playing is another beast altogether. Mainly Marshall and an old Fender silver-face modded Twin is there anything else that matters? Screw the absolute sound/tone, it's in your fingers and some studio producer, or long winded user-review, will f*!k you up by telling you what you should use. I can say that this is a sweet product to pick up for around $150....how much tone could you expect for that price??? Mesa Boogie, over-rated rich boy product..can you say I'm a spoiled faggot. ART, stick to producing MAX cuz your equipment sucks. Digitech, god I wanted to like that companyies product but equate their preamps to.. Crate, ahh disgustingly cheap...poor man's rocker. Rocktron, jury still out but definitely carries the torch for good preamps.
FAVORITE FEATURE - It simply Rocks, Rolls, and cracks you up with its metallicious 80's tones.
IF IT WERE STOLEN - Glad there even cheaper now....can't beat it period.
ANYTHING I WISH IT HAD - some extra magical tube that makes the tone leprechan jump out of my Marshall 4-12 cabinet.
DOES IT HELP YOU MAKE MUSIC - sure.
ANYTHING ELSE - I hope you enjoyed this review...it's sincere and honest.

Sound quality is great, especially for how cheap they go for now. I play tool/deftones style and it sounds pretty good. It is a very quiet amp also. The distortion can get pretty heavy, but not as heavy as some newer amps.

Good -the overdrive sounds great, plus the chorus is pretty damn good too. There are 2 overdrive (clean tube, and tube).

It has broken on me a coulpe times, because it's old. It is hard to find parts for it because ADA is out of business - so any one you get is going to be old.

N/A - ADA is out of business.

An overall great preamp!

I used an Ibanez, one of those 80s jobs. Never knew the number. It was fitted with an EMG-81 at the bridge and an EMG-85 at the neck. The last few years I downtuned to B flat. My setup as described above gave me such a great sound for the style of music I was playing. I'd be making stages shake with my palm mutes. Of course, once I swiched to clean, things were going to suffer due to being at B-flat tuning. But the clean tones of the MP-1 were acceptable enough.

I got it in 1990 (because I read about people like Kirk Hammett using these), I was playing in a hardcore/thrash crossover band at the time, then I used it exclusively for my subsequent grindcore band. I toured several times with it and recorded three CDs as well. I quit playing in bands in 1997.

I used the MP-1 first with a Carvin 100W and then with a Marshall power amp (one of those big brown stereo rackmount ones that were 50W per channel, 9000 maybe?). I used a Marshall 4 x 12 cab. The MP-1 always delivered the bone-crunching power I needed. I was a bit of a sick player: early on, I would turn both distortions up to 10 and not worry about extraneous noises. Later on, I turned one of the distortions way down and had little problems with noise when doing start/stop riffs. I would use two patches with the master volume at different levels to get louder when I would do leads. In my leads, I used to want to be able to sustain a very high note for a LONG time (think Hendrix doing Machine Gun). I was always after that. Sometimes I'd overload things by putting a Rat pedal in front of the ADA. Later, to boost the signal, I got my DSP-128 effects unit (which was on one setting only using the EQ section)AND a Real Tube preamp patched into the ADA's loop. I activated the loop only for my lead patches.
I had an Aphex Aural Exciter at the end. It helped, too.
Oh, and I also had the little switch on top on "line" instead of "instrument". The signal was a million times hotter and nothing broke because of it...

It did break once, the distortion stopped working (about 1995). Took it to local guitar shop and they got it fixed in about a month (they had to send it somewhere). Toward the end of my "career" the front jack was failing (cutting in and out), which was a pain when you're on a stage that's vibrating like mad. I did my best to try to duct-tape my cable to the side of my rack. Most of the time it worked.

Never had a problem until five years of abuse had gone by. Never dealt with ADA.

I'm hoping to be able to record at home soon. I'll continue to use the MP-1. I'll probably get one of the newer boxes as well, so I can do all the Korn/Limp Bizkit/RATM pitch-shifting stuff.

This box was the cornerstone of my crunch. If anybody's curious about how I abused or misused this bit of technology, come to my website (where I try to bring back the old days) and check out the MP3s I've got up at http://www.notsilent.net

I've used this pre amp with everything strats(a personel fav),P.R.S., Parker, Charvel, and Pauls it takes tham all with a little tweking to compensate for pickups. The best is probubly a mid to hi gain pickup like the duncan J.B. or 59.

The ADA MP-1 Igot this pre amp from George Lynch of dokken+Lynch Mob. I was useing a Marshell J.C.M.800 but this thing is more versitile be carfull of the jacks thay can't take alot of abuse but if you keep it in the same setup and in a rack case you'll be fine

other then the jack I had them replaced w/metal jack costed about $50.00 I haven't had problum no. 1

can't find any haven't needed any

The only thing I'd like is the origanel books that com with this thing if you have it E-mail me

Great!!!!

If you have problems to get information on this or any ADA product, you should check ut www.ultimatetone.com. It's the unofficial ADA website. It has manuals, schematics, information for replacements and more.

I had lots of preamps, incluiding Triaxis. Ada is the only one that gave me the sound I wanted.

Groovy sounds,set up by someone else...editing seems easy enough,
but no presets left....I need a manual!Found a schematic source,though
http://people.ne.mediaone.net/daltay/hitw.html

Chorous is great,makes my nylon acoustic/electric sound huge...
Nice overtones w/any electric......

N/A Never used it live....need the manual!!

ADA is toast---look for schematic here....
http://people.ne.mediaone.net/daltay/hitw.html

I play lots of different venues,so lots of styles...
always with stompboxes.I think this would be a good tool,
if I could get it initialized,and start fresh---
did I mention a MANUAL?!??

I have been working with digitech stuff for 10 years. Compared to digitech, the ADA was much easier to program. I had to download the manuel, since ADA is out of business.

I use the ADA for recording. I bi-amped it sending it through my Crate stealth combo for a distorted or clean dry sound, then through the second output,I linked it a Digitech 2112, for delays, detuner, chorus, ect. through a Hafler S.S. power amp. The ADA worked really well with that setup and the distortion had balls! Through bi-a,PING IT (DRY ONE SIDE, WET THE OTHER) I got a huge sound! The ADA by itself sounds very impressive, although if not gated can be really noisy. I can get a Van halen tone, Whitesnake (John Sykes)tone, mettalica, but to get their sounds, you need more than the ADA. IT sounds best (for metal anyway) running through a tube power amp and a goos efeects processor. It's true, it's true!!

Ok, I bought this thing used a few months back, and the thing blinks out on me from time to time. Sometimes I have to lightly tap it to get it started, so for a live gig, I can't chance using it. Since ADA is not in business anymore, I have to find a place that can repair the thing. It's to bad since I prefer the distortions way more than my Digitech.

N/A

I play in a pop alternative band, but I also play and record hard rock. I've been playing for sixteen years. I really am into Digitech effects, and been using them since 1990. I never really liked Digitech's distortions to much and before I have used a Peavy rockmaster with the Digitech Legend and got a great sound. The rockmaster was great but had no Midi. Now I use use a Digitech 2112 with a Hafler stereo power amp and live it's good... but not grrrrreat. The ADA sounds awesome through the 2112 and works well, but mine isn't reliable. If it was more reliable, I'd use it live in a second. I've already had great results recording with it. I wish I knew someone that could look at it. If it were lost or stolen I would probably look for another,you can't beat the sound for the price, and I think I just got a bum unit...a chance you do take when you buy used.

I'm a bit of a computer nut as well as musician so working my way around this unit has always been easy.But anyone could work it out without a manual.

I use a custom Kramer with gotoh hardware(EVH trem)& Dimarzio H'bucker & 2 x single coils(neck & middle). My amp is a marshall 100W JMP model with JCM 800 Quad. Effects are just one Roland MC50 in rack with the MP-1. I've used the MP-1 for nearly Ten years and found mine to be very quiet even on extremely high gain settings(just lucky I guess).My gain settings vary by Three with a Rhythm & Solo patch for each:
1.Tube Clean
2.Tube Distortion Mild
3.Tube Distortion High gain
Solid state settings where crap so I never used them.Solid state mode was like playing through a Roland JC120 Combo I once used -CRAP-
I get all the In-between clarities by backing off the guitar. This way I've managed shimmery clean picking to Stevie Ray Boogie To Wild Vai sounds with little stomping of the Foot(leaves more time for enjoying the moment)A very warm sound with all the grunt you'll ever need.I never used more than eight presets. None of which were factory settings so be prepared to tinker.

This unit is reliable as long as it is'nt abused. A strong well ventilated roadcase goes a long way to ensuring a longer life.
I've only needed to replace the valves 3 times in ten years and I work my unit hard. Mesa boogie valves make good high gain replacements
I hade some trouble early with my patches wiping clean on powerup, which can be extremely frustrating when the shows about to start.
Turned out to be a faulty battery but have had no trouble since.

Never dealt with ADA. My tech. did all the early warranty work and valve replacements.

I play in a pub/Club rock band which has it's restrictions, but sometimes break away with some country or jazz. The MP-1 doesn't restrict if you set it up right. I've been a lead/rhythm guitarist for 17 years and have had plenty of time to experiment. The ADA suited my needs fine. Unfortunately all my gear has become a memory thanks to thieves so I shall be hunting a replacement ADA MP-1 or even MP-2 if I can find one to test drive (Pardon the pun)

I use an Ibanez JEM7VWH with DiMarzio evolution pickups, I run the MP-1 into an ADA Microtube 200 poweramp, I also use an Alesis Quadraverb, Boss Stereo Panning Delay, Furman Parametric EQ, BBE Sonic Maximizer, Rocktron Hush Super C noise reduction, and a Nady UHF wireless, into either a Peavey 5150 cabinet loaded with Celestion Vintage 30s, or stereo into two Carvin Steve Vai Legacy 2x12s with Celestion Vintage 30s. I play hard rock, fusion, and metal (mainly older metal like Megadeth, Testament, Anthrax, early Metallica, Slayer). Into the MP1 I've got an Ibanez tubescreamer, Digitech Whammy, and a Dunlop 535Q Crybaby Wah. The tones in this thing are GREAT, if you take the time to edit and program. I've got these tones setup, controlled by a Rolls MIDI Wizard controller: Real clean, Chorused Clean, Thrash Rhythm, Metal Rhythm, Rock Rhythm, Shred Lead, Thrash Lead, Blues lead. Good stuff, just play with it.. also, I replaced the preamp tubes with JJ 12AX7s, amazing tone.

No idea the year, 128 presets, MIDI, 2 12AX7 tubes in the preamp, there's voicings for Tube Distortion, Tube Clean, Solid State, Clean, 4-band eq (bass, mid, treble, presence), 3 gain stages (od1, od2, master gain),1 space rackmount, input jacks on back and front. Effects loop. No reverb or any effects except chorus.

I've had it for 4 years with no problems.

Outta business.

Love it, I also have used a Marshall JMP-1, also a great preamp. But I like this better, it's got more shred-ness going on.

It is incredibly easy to use. You don't even need the instructions. It's all pretty self explanatory.

I use a Gibson Les Paul and plug it into the MP-1. Then, bypass the preamp in my Marshall JCM900 SL-X by plugging it into the back. I absolutely love this thing. Before I just used the distortion in my amp or distortion pedals. The pedals were okay but the MP-1 is one of the best preamps I have ever tried. Not only is the distortion superb, but the chorus it has sounds awesome. If you're looking for screaming blues leads to thunderous crunching palm mutes and everything in between, then you really need to buy a MP-1.

Hasn't given out on me once.

Haven't had to deal with them.

I'm into all kinds of music but my favorite has to be heavy metal and hard rock. The MP-1 is perfect for me even if I didn't like heavy metal. If you need distortion, it has any kind you can think of. You just have to take the time to fiddle with it and find the right sound. Tubes in the preamp make a big difference in the sound too. I'm using Groove Tubes ECC83. If you want a heavy crunch on your palm mutes I would recommend those. Some people complain about it being noisy but trust me I've had it cranked before and when I stop playing for a second you wouldn't even think it was turned on. But then again that may all come down to what tubes you're using. So just experiment and I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for with it.

The MP-1 is very easy to use. I downloaded a manual from the unofficial ADA website and then it was a breeze.

My main guitar is an old Charvel parts guitar bulit by Image guitars in Hollywood. It has EMG pickups and a Floyd Rose. I use the MP-1 with a Quadraverb and a Boogie 290 Simulclass power amp and 2 Marshall cabs (2x12) and I'm getting some monster tones. I use it with Eddy Malm ( ex. swedish metallurgists Heavy Load), which is kind of late 70's sounding hard rock and with wierdorockband Bosse, where I have to go from bossanova to metal to country in the same song. The MP-1 is perfect for songs with fast sound changes and also for that Marshall crunch. You can kind of simulate a Ronnie Montrose/ Brad Gillis lead tone with infinite sustain although it gets a bit noisy at high gain settings. Here's the remedy for that: Have another beer and you won't notice that hiss. I think the clean sounds in a Boogie Quad preamp (which I used to use) are a bit warmer and Fendersounding. However, it's easy to get a superb Fripp/Belew-clean sound and use it together with a delay and get that odd time signaturething happening.The EQ possibilities are limited and it's a good idea to use another EQ (such as the Quadraverbs) to finetune your frequencies. A noisegate can also come in handy. My Boogie power amp has presence controls for both channels which gives the overall sound extra clarity.

When I bought it there was an unacceptable hum but a local amp guru could fix it by changing something inside it. Since then it has worked fine.

Never dealt with them. Are they still around?

For a little more than a hundred bucks you get a tube preamp with MIDI capabilities and in my opinion it surpasses the shred reputation that has followed it. It is very practical and can be used in a variety of musical contexts. If you have your own guitar roadies or a good deal with your chiropractor you should go for an A/B amp system instead. If you have two separate amps with separate delays that's better because the delay will ring out nicely after a solo as you go back to rythm playing. That's a bit of a drawback with using the MP-1( or any other MIDI tube preamp for that matter)If I lost it I would by a new one, for sure!

I found it very easy to edit patches and get good clean and distorted sounds. Since there are no menus, it's far easier to use than a more modern multi-effects unit - adjusting any parameter is a one-button process. I was getting acceptable clean and overdriven sounds out of the unit within an hour.

I use the MP-1 primarily with a small club rig consisting of a Charvel Soloist, a Vox wah wah, a Digitech RP-1 multieffects unit, and a Fender Pro-185 amp. I experimented with running the RP-1 in the MP-1's effects loop and vice versa, but I couldn't find a setup that I liked, so I simply run direct thru the wah, the MP-1, and the RP-1 in that order. I have not run the MP-1 thru a tube power amp. Other reviews would indicate that this makes a huge positive difference in the sounds.

Regardless, the MP-1's distorted sounds are absolutely killer. You can easily get the whole spectrum of lead and rhythm sounds, from singing Eric Johnson to precise, focused Metallica type rhythm sounds to floppy, crunchy Smashing Pumpkins sounds, if you're into that sort of thing. Less-intense overdriven sounds are also possible, such as a decent SRV Texas rock/blues sound. One great feature is the integral chorus. It's a very high quality effect and adds some great depth and color to distorted sounds.

The clean sounds are also excellent, although not as good as the lead sounds. You can get a pretty nice Fenderish clean sound, although it's not as alive and dynamic as a true Fender or Boogie.

I've had it for a few months and have been gigging regularly with no trouble. I don't trust it enough yet to use it without a backup, but it takes me awhile to get to that point with any piece of gear.

No need to contact them, and hope I never have to since they're OOB.

I've been playing for 15 years, and currently play an eclectic mix of styles including metal, rock, blues, jazz, and alternative. The MP-1 is better suited to the hard stuff, but it's surprisingly versatile. I disagree with other reviews that would classify this unit as a dedicated shred machine. You just have to be creative with modifying the patches and using it with other effects, such as the Vox wah. You can find preamps with more versatility, but for the price at which you can pick up a used MP-1, it's unbeatable.

I love the sound quality and ease of use. I hate the effects loop - my effects sound like crap through it. Maybe it's a defect or a broken component on this particular unit. If this one was lost or stolen, I'd probably buy another one because they're so inexpensive, unless I happened to have the cash on hand for a Boogie Triaxis.

This unit is very easy to use and very easy to get the best sound that suits you. There are several patches that are both easy to use and quite accessable. The manual is also very easy to follow.

I use this preamp with a Randall stereo amp. It can get noisy at times, but I have learned several tricks and do's and don'ts over the years. The only effect included is chorus, and it sounds awsome! I have been able to get any sound I could ever want or need out of this unit.

Well, just like any other piece of electronic gear, I have had breakdowns and I always have a back-up on gigs.

OK, here's the weak spot - ADA was very bad with support and of course now they are out of business, so getting any kind of support is pretty much a useless fight!

I play all styles of music on a nightly basis and the mp-1 gets every sound I need. I have playing professionally for over 25 years and own so many different rigs, there is way too much to list! I have played several other rigs and always go back to the mp-1. I have compared this unit with every product of it's type, over the last 15 years or so and nothing ever compares ... it has the warmest preamp section, as well as, the strongest preamp output, providing great sustain. It's a real shame this company went out of business, because I have no plans to stop using it.

Nice clean sounds, but the distortion on this unit is the very best! very Marshall sounding (the better Marshalls anyway) but can do a lot more than a Marshall. Sounds good by itself, but sounds really good with a Tube Screamer in front of it...especially if you're going after nice Slayer, Sepultura, Metallica, Morbid Angel, Napalm Death sounds.
It can do shred too, if that is what you like; It can do a nice AC/DC sound...almost ANY sound. No wonder most guitarists in the 80's had this thing. Sounds good through almost any amp, but best through a good tube power amp (Mesas are the best in my opinion...or a VHT).
It is a bit noisy, but nothing a good noise gate can't fix.
Although not necessary, a good parametric equalizer can work wonders on this, or any other, amp. The Furman PEQ-3 in between the guitar and the MP-1 is what I recommend for a good death tone.

Two 12AX7 tubes, MIDI controlled (IN/OUT/THRU), Three voicings: solid-state clean, clean tube, distorted tube. Headphone out, mono efects loop with level, overall output control. Chorus on all voicings, and compression on solid state only.
I do not know the software version, but I bought it new back in 1991. Nice features, but lacks a stereo effects loop!!

I bought this unit new, and did not give me any problems whatsoever...until about two years ago. A weird buzzing noise would start to show up out of nowhere, it would go away, but would come back after the unit was on for a few minutes. I thought that it might be a capacitor or something. I was thinking about checking it when one day I turned it on, and the distortion was gone. I was getting sound out of it, but not the regular tone. Only one of the gain stages was working, the other (drive2) was not working at all. I switched tubes in hope of fixing the problem, but nothing happened. ADA had been out of business so I had no idea how to fix it. I looked around the internet to see if I could find some schematics, but nothing. I opened it up to see if I could find the problem with a voltmeter, but without the schematics it was almost impossible...until...I noticed that a small chip was cracked. It was a JRC5532 which is a Low Noise OPAMP. I know a bit about electronics, but not much about tube amps. Anyway, I figured that this thing acts as a buffer, or a driver (I am not sure...no schematics) for the second stage, it goes between stage one and two. I replaced the part (got it from Digi-Key) and solved the problem. I have not had any more problems after that. So if anybody out there has the schematics, and are willing to share them with the community, so some of us could fix these fine units...

They're out of business. Never dealt with them.

I guess a Traxis would be the more mature choice if one is in the market for a good tube preamp, but considering that you can get these things now (if you can actually get your hands on one) for like $100...this is a MUST GET! The control options on this unit might be a bit outdated, but the sounds obtainable out of this preamp are superb. It has no effects, but the tone is there, and that is the only thing that matters. Mate it with a good tube power amp, a few good cabinets, a MIDI footcontroller, and you'll be one very happy guitarist.
I still have the manual, and will be posting it on my website soon. I don't know when that will be...but if you really, really need it, I can email you a scanned copy of it.
If anybody has the same problem I had (see RELIABILITY) with this unit, check that chip. It sits about an inch from the tubes (to the right) on the main board.

Currently I'm running this into a solid state practice amp, and it sounds awesome, probably will sound better with a power-amp and cab though. I'm using a standard fender strat and they work great together, especially for bluesy sound. As I said before, it has tons of gain on the tube distortion voice and the clean sound is either clean or can be pushed so it distorts. The tube distortion is very versitile too, you can get marshall to mesa/boogie almost. The stereo chorus sounds really nice with all the voicings. I think this is great for all styles, I mainly play metal,hard rock, and blues and it's great for all of those. I also have to say that the solid state voicing isn't that bad either.

This is a tube pre-amp that cotains 2 12AX7 preamp tubes, it also uses midi. It has 128 presets available to store your different sounds which makes going to different sounds easy(especially with a mide floorboard controller). There are three voicings avaible for use, tube distortion, tube clean, and solid state. Both tube sounds are great, the tube distortion has tons of gain, and the tube clean can be either crystal clear or pushed for a great blues sound. The solid state circuit is kind of useless because its only a solid state clean sound. The pre-amp also has built in stereo chorus with depth and rate controls. Controls for overdrive 1, overdrive 2, bass, mid, treble and effects loop in/out. other features are a effects loop, headphone jack(w/ level adjustment knob), left/right and line outputs, midi in/out/through and a master output knob. This is a very verstile unit, only thing that is really missing is a solid state distortion.

Haven't had it for too long but its beening working great so far. Never broken down.

N/A

Overall I say this is one rockin' pre-amp. It's got every I could ask for in a pre-amp(except maybe solid state distortion, but I probably wouldn't use very often). It sounds great, is versitile, and cheap. What more could you need? If somebody stole I'd definately buy it again.

I use an ESP mirage Delux with ESP pickups as my main guitar, and am able to duplicate or obtain most of the sound I want.
The unit is noisy if the master gain is set past 6-6.5.
The distortion sound is very Marshall orientated and can be driven to levels slightly higher than a SLX Marshall head.
Due to multiple channels, it is possible to switch quickly between Rythme and lead tones. Due to the number of channels available, it is possible to have pre-sets to accomodate a number of guitars without losing 'your' sound.

The features are good, but being the first mp1, the bugs were not ironed out until later versions.
My biggest beef is the mono effects loop!
There are ways around this problem but it's a hassle.
With three voicings (Tube, Dist. Tube and Solid State) I can get sounds appropriate to most musical styles.
The eq is good but the degrees of adjustment make it necesary to use an outboard equaliser.
The compression on the Solid State voice is good, but I would have liked to have seen compression on the Tube voicing too.
I guess ADA figered tube compression was enough!

Tube burn out quickly with a lot of distortion.
The sound looses it's punch when this happens, but this is typical of tube based preamps.
No breakdowns.....touch wood!

Never needed it, so don't know.

I would DEFINATLY replace this unit if need be.
Ideally, I would buy a Mesa Boogie Studio Preamp to use with this unit (and switch between the two) as the mp1 is more of a Marshall sound and M/B sounds are hard to reproduce using this unit.
The tone is just what I like for my playing tastes.
I've played for 16 years and am happy to use this preamp as 'my' sound.

Pretty Simple, I gave it a 9 because I had to program my Rocktron "All Access" MIDI controller. Some fools would be stupified by the programming, but I have programmed tougher crap than this preamp (cough-cough T.C. G-Force cough-cough!)

I play a music know to many as Prog/Hard Rock/Metal (you know odd-times, solo's and harmonies.) I write my own music and play lead guitar and sing in a band called "Phase." My guitars are a Gibson '67 Flying V, a Gibson '76 Explorer, a Gibson Les Paul Custom, an ESP Vintage S, a Jackson Rhoads RR1T, and a Jackson Soloist SL2H. My amplification is an '83 Marshall JCM 800 (head) modded all to hell by Soundsmith Inc., a Boogie Mk. IV (head), a Bogner "Fish" preamp, and a Bogner Ecstacy 101 (head.) For effects I use a T.C. G-Force, and a hoarde of new/vintage boxes (like MXR, Roland, Maxon, Menatone, Diaz, Lovetone, E. Harmonix, Roger Mayer, Fulltone and Sobbat.) I use the ADA MP-1 with a VHT 2/50/2 power amp and a whole rack of eq's and other crap. It sounds good with anything. I like all of the modes on the preamp. I owns, Nuff said.

I have never had a problem with this preamp. I gig with a backup, because I have a multi-amp setup. But I would use this alone without worry.

ADA IS NO LONGER WITH US (R.I.P.)

It is a good preamp for most any styles. If it were stolen... I would cry, find out who stole it, pull out a machete' and then hack the jackass up! I enjoy using it, and it is a good practice amp (for headphone jams at 2 A.M.) And I must say...

GODS= Randy Rhoads, Zakk Wylde, Kirk Hammet, Paul Gilbert, Jeff Beck, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, Adrian Smith, Yngwie Malmsteen, Marty Friedman, John Petrucci & Toni Iommi! (BOYCOTT CRAP MUSIC!!!!!)

I use Seymore Duncan equipped Kramers and go directly into this thing. I come out to an old Peavey Studio Pro 40 power amp input into its speaker. Distortion is noisy when fully cranked. Buy a noise gate, Why?

Well, quite frankly, its tube distortio sounds are better than any amp I have EVER played/owned,Mesa/5150/JCM 2000/Tube Fex,etc. Rich and creamy words can't explain.
Clean tube sounds are superb. Warmth and depth beyond Fender. It maxes out with a stunnind Brown sound that responds to your attack and volume control.
I have even found a use for its pristine Solid state mode. I can get a reasonable acoustic sound out of it. I have never been able to get a super clean sound out of ANY amp, tube or solid, like this. The chorus is the ABSOLUTE BEST SOUNDING CHORUS I HAVE EVER HEARD. It is deep and shimmering, almost ALIVE and in stereo. I know I'm going on about how good it is and you think I am crazy, so be it.

This preamp is very versatile. I has Tube distortion, Tube clean and Solid State clean capabilities. Solid state is limited to clean sounds, if you want Solid state distortion sounds, too bad dont buy this preamp. There are stereo outs but no stereo fx returns, just mono, that sucks. Midi in, out, thru, headphone out w/volume control, fx return control. Internal power, NO WALL WART. Front and rear input jacks, chorus effect, Blah Blah Blah. It is very, very easy to use no manual required. Programming is a joke, No menus just push parameter on front and push up or down button, when done push next parameter button, etc. Then push store, select program number and you're done.

I bought this used. The only problem I have had was a dirty pot. It caused the input to cut out when it was bumped or vibrated. I replaced this dual pot myself and have had NO problems since. I intend to use it live at my next gig. currently I am rebuilding my rig around this piece. I would use no backup. Its a very basic preamp theres not much that can go wrong with it. Even if there was, its in a rack. I have 2 and will buy more because ADA is out of business. I can fix anything accept the programming. If the programming fails then I want to have a spare, just in case. I also want to have a separate recording rig so I need more of them.

ADA went out of business.

I have ben playing for 12 years and teaching for 5.
If it were stolen or lost, I would buy another and pay a lot for it if need be. I will buy another as soon as I can find one. I have 2, and will get more because it just sounds s good. I compared it to JCM 2000, Triaxis, and 5150, it just sounded better. I do wish it had a stereo fx return as is I will go into a line mixer that has one. It can be noisy but so is eveything else at high gain, those that arent, like the MP-2, Digitech 2120, have a noie gate built in, I want tone, I can always buy a noise gate. I didnt know where to put this because it is not a problem if you follow the manual--Follow the manual as for getting a matching volume for clean and distorted channels, otherwise you will hear a pop when changing from dist. to clean.

I play mostly metal and blues.I have a shitty guitar at the moment{Jap charvel with stock pickups}I have the MP1 going through a Peavey ultraverb then to a Alessis RA 100 amp to a Carvin SX200 speaker combo.I can get some awesome sounds on this but I'm sure I can get even more of a killer sound with a better guitar whith I plane on buying soon.I can get everything from Metallica to Jimi Hendrix with this unit.It goes great with the style I play and with some tinkering you can get just about any sound you want.I plan on getting a Marshall 412 cab mabey 2 with a BBE sonic maximizer along with a good tube power amp and more stuff as soon as I get the money.Reading other peoples thoughts on here I can make a great sounding system sound greater.

Preamp with Tube and solid state distortions.

No problems yet but I just got it.

The company went out of buis.

Can't beat the sound for the price.I know of nothig that can come close to this thing for 165$.It sounds better than most preamps coasting 10 times that used.If it was stolen I'd be pissed and would hope the price didn't go up so I could buy another.

This thing was a little odd at first, but after you hit enough buttons, every program's digital knob is at your mercy.

I ran this through an Alesis Midiverb 4 through a Crate SPA-200 power amp and to a Marshall 4x12 1960A cab. It sounded really nice. Really nice distortion, and you can get really clean tube sounds. Try mixing the chorus in the MP-1 with another chorus and other FX. Get some interesting sounds. I could do everything from Megadeth, Metallica, Van Halen, Dream Theater, Cleanliness of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Nice to say the least.

Well, This is the pisser. It worked fine for a long time. Then I noticed the input jack was screwing around on me. BUT! - That was really no problem. What REALLY frustrated me was, one day, I was sitting there, jamming on a clean channel while my drummer was tuning his drums.. I sat there playing clean and calm for a few minutes.. next thing I know, completely out of nowhere, it hit me. BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!! Really loud, really annoying, and even with no input device. I was still able to play over this sound, but the second I wanted to mute, it would BUZZZ again. I couldn't stand it. So, I've figured out that it only does this when it's been on for about 10-15 minutes. Then it's time to turn it off. Now, if this is just a capacitor issue, I could understand, because those things can only last so long. Anyone have any ideas?.. Anyone else besides me have this problem? It's a lovely amp, and I'd like to start using it again. Until then, I'm using a trusty Fender M-80 Solid State 90 watt amp head running to half-a-cabinet.

Never had to do this, and looks like I never will either.

I loved it. Really nice "metal" sound, and could also achieve the classic rock sound. Much more, a really nice clean sound. Mixed with FX, you have a great source of sound possibilities. If it comes with Chorus though, I kinda wish it came with at least reverb, too. While I used my Midiverb 4, it didn't matter.. now I need another one. :)

very easy programing but midi prog. could be dificult whitout manual

jackson guitar whit paf pro , and efx loop on digitech 2120 , man .... very cool combination , the ada rocks trougth 2120

6 months until now zero problems

they dont exist no more

mp1 distortions kiks the digitech ones , mp1 chorus litlle retro stile

its been wonder full

after i got new tubes there is no comarison

every show its never let me down

hard to find parts for

The MP-1 is very easy to use. Let me just say, I bought it used, so without a manual, and was playing within 5 minutes.
I find the ease of use, the same as the Marshall JMP-1 and Mesa Boogie triaxis. This is probably true for all non-FX pre-amps.

I already had a marshall JMP-1, and found it to be more than adequate for my use. However, at 200 DM (about $85) I couldn't resist buying The ADA, thinking I could always use it as a backup. At home I hooked the MP-1 parallel to the Marshall JMP-1 by a nobels switcher (guitar input switchable to two outputs(one to MP-1, one to JMP-1)). One output from the marshall went into the left input of my rocktron replifex, and one output from the MP-1 went into the right input of the replifex. The replifex went into my power-amp and from there on it went into a stereo switched Marshall 1960 with vintage celestions. This way I could compare the JMP-1 directly with the ADA, without other differences in equipment (different locations, speakers, power-amps, guitars etc, as I found all can have a huge effect on your sound). It immediately caught my ear that the MP-1 was much more transparent than the JMP-1 at high gain. Compared to the ADA, the JMP-1 sounded like a blanket covered the speaker. However, I must say that until now I only ran it at low volumes, and with an increase of volume, you can also get an increase of your highs. So at high volumes, where the marshall sounds great, the ada may sound to crispy. However, this is an assumption and is therefore untested. (my neighbours would probably get plenty pissed if I tried high volume levels at home) but I'll get back to this in a later review.
The leads at high gain also sounded better on the ADA. Cleans also contained more 'glass' and transparancy than on the JMP-1.
I was impressed by the ADA, and can't wait to test him at high volume levels.
When I ran only the ADA through the speaker, the sound had more body and definition than the JMP-1, although this may be a disadvantage at high-volume levels, it sounds great at low levels.
The sounds I could achieve approached "and justice.." & "Masters of.." by Metallica who if I'm not mistaken also used the ADA MP-1 in that period. In contrast to that I got a very convincing AC/DC\ZZ-top like sound out of the ADA, but I have to add that those can also be achieved with the JMP-1 as well. I also could mimic nearly any Slayer sound, and also got a near perfect SRV-sound.
In counclusion I have to say that it is a very good pre-amp especially for what they cost nowadays. It's too bad ADA is out of business (atleast that's what I heard) because this amp is a winner. Instead of excelling in one sound, it is a good allrounder with 'winners' in several areas.

One more thing, some people complain that it is very noisy at high gain. I haven't noticed that. I might add that good shielded cables and a powerconditioner do wonders for your rack. It might be an investment at first, but the result is that you no longer need a noise-gate. I never believed it too, until I tested the cables and power conditioners myself.

I only have it for 4 days now, but it's a second hand unit, which probably was made in the early 90-s (2.01 software I don't know when it was released??, but ADA had closed their doors somewhere around 95??). If I can assume that the unit is older than 5 years I can say that all inputs and outputs are 'crackle' free, and so are all potis (1 front, 2 back). But since I only have it for a few days, I can't say anything about it. Maybe in two years I'll write another review.

the factory is shutdown, so I wouldn't now.

I like playing any style of music from SRV to Maiden, Slayer to Dream Theater, Dixie Dregs to Death etc.. I find the ADA MP-1 useful for every occasion, as I also find the JMP-1 useful for these occasions.
So I always have a backup these days. If I had to choose between the JMP-1 and the ADA I'd have a hard time deciding.
If it we're stolen I definately would want a replacement, but here in Holland, ADA MP-1's are hard to find. I had to go to Germany to find this one!! I can only say, if you like working with rack-gear and run into an MP-1. BUY IT!! you won't regret it, atleast I didn't. BTW, for the prices these units go for nowadays, you also haven't risked your pension if the unit turns out not to be in pristine condition.
In what you get for what you pay, I'll give it a 10. Because if you want comparable achievement from a pre-amp you'd atleast have to pay anywhere between six-tenfold than what you pay for an ADA MP-1!!

This unit is pretty much straight forward when it comes to the settings. The front panel has a sub-directory above the buttons so that you know which button does what job. Simply push the "Edit" button and you can access all of the variable parameters like overdrive 1, overdrive 2, 3 band EQ, presence, Main gain, chorus, effects loop, and tube/solid state and then push "store" and a number to save. I didn't get a manual when I bought this unit, becuase I bought it used, so I can not comment on that aspect of it. The Midi controller works really well when on "phantom power" and the cord is long enough so that you can set your rig up anywhere and still change your channels. This makes it even easier to access your sound once you've programmed the settings you desire, because the fact that foot controller is divided up into 0-9 buttons with a "bank access" to reach all 128. A blind monkey can run this unit.

The tonal variations for this unit is excellent when compared to price and what one could spend to get a comparable sound. It has 2 12AX7 preamp tubes which provide a warm tube-tone either on clean or distorted channels. It also has solid-state circuitry which will hold it's own if you so desire. Personally I don't use the solid-state distortion and the solid-state clean very little. Either way though, this preamp at least offers that option which is more than can be said of other systems on the market.

When I first began using this preamp I had a Digitech Mosfet poweramp. While it powered the ADA fine, it didn't provide any tonal clarity to the sound I was getting and so the sound suffered. When I bought an ADA Microtube 100 poweramp to go with the MP-1, the tonal sounds came busting through like a freight train! So the MP-1 has the ability to create a variety of sounds with the right set up. You can dial up a Fender-type clean tone to a Marshall-type distortion on the tube set-up. I use the OD1 at 10 and the OD2 at about 5-8 and the master gain as a level control and I seem to get a great distortion sound whether I use humbuckers or single-coils.

BE AWARE though that this preamp only has the 2 preamp tubes so if you want monster saturation for heavy sounds a la Death/Doom metal this won't do it. You'd be better off with a Mesa. I wish though that this preamp at least had that option if I wanted it. You can cut the mids out completely and max the overdrives, but you loose some of the sound and it becomes muddy with no tonal clarity what so ever.

Also there's no reverb to it, which kinda hinders the sound making the whole unit sound too "dry" or "flat".

The built-in chorus to this preamp is a sweet thing to have. It has a monster amount of range and can go from very subtle to heavy tremolo-like. This adds more combinations for the user when coupled with both clean and distorted tones. This kinda offsets the lack of reverb to an extent but not completely.

The eq is fair. The bass, mid, and treble range from -12 to +12 to give a good amount of flexibility. The presence also adds to the tone of the system as well, but it can also make it noisy if you have too much of it. An additional parametric eq is the better way to go, but you can get by with the MP-1's eq alone.

This unit is a noisy bugger to boot. It has an uncanny knack for picking up the natural electric cycle hum from wall sockets. But for me, I don't mind it until I get a suppresor.

I play everything from U2, Live, Metallica, Type O Negative, Tool, Sevendust and the MP-1 seems to be capable to generate a similar replica.

So it's not bad. One or two more 12AX7's wouldn't have hurt for more distortion and something for reverb and I'd give it a 10. The options this puppy has alone makes it a great piece of equipment.

I don't know too many people that can say this about this particular unit: I HAVE BEEN GIGGING WITH THIS UNIT FOR 6+ YEARS WITHOUT A BACKUP AND IT HAS FAILED ONLY ONCE. That failure was within a few months after I bought it, so I sent it to Oakland, CA to have it serviced by ADA. They fixed it up and it's run like a champ ever since. I still play exclusively through this preamp and I plan to continue to do so until it completely dies on me (which may never happen).

I've run this preamp very, VERY hot too and it's never given me a problem, although I don't reccommend it and I use a fan to cool my entire rack. It's been in and out of our tour van for years and it's taken the punishment fine.

When ADA existed and I sent my preamp to be serviced by them the transaction went smoothly. They gave me a customer support ID nubmer that I could call and check up on my unit at my leisure. I was able to speak directly to a tech about my unit, which I thought was really good. They gave me a time frame for estimated repair, an estimation of cost and it was done quickly and sent back to me. They gave me an itemized receipt stating what they fixed and how much it cost. Very good support. It's a shame that they don't exist today though.

So I don't know what to rate them here! Yeah I've dealt with the company, but no they don't exist anymore so repairs will have to be done by a second-hand technician. So I gues I'll give 'em a 5...in between great and poor.

I initially bought this preamp because the fact that Kirk Hammett of Metallica spoke so highly of it years ago in a magazine interview.

I can see why he's so pleased with his unit and still uses it today. I feel the same way about mine. It's very versatile. I can get a clean sound for U2's "ONE" to a heavy sound for Sevendust's "Denial". I have been able to come up with a sound that is good for my own material as well, no matter what the mood setting or the feeling, I can generate it on this preamp.

You can pick these up fairly cheap now and they are well worth it, especially if you get one in great condition.

This unit is far out one of the most simple units I have ever seen !!
I think it easy to create your tone and after a little while you know how to work with this thing and this leaves more time to play!

I think its real good for the kind of music I play (I play in a KISS-cover band) I loved my sound. It's a little noisy ( at high volumes and a lot of distortion) but I have a HUSH II-CX to control and remove the noise. Some months ago I added a BBE Sonic Maximizer to my setup and waaw!!! THIS IS A SOUND!! The ADA and BBE are quite a heel of a team. MY sound was really good before but when you plug in the BBE it's like your speaker is under a caerpet which is suddenly removed.

I have it for over a year now and have no problems. I just bought a second one because I love it and to use it as a backup

I never needed them so far

I really like this device (I bought second one) but this little thing really needs a HUSH and a BBE. Then your on the right track.
My amp is screaming and roaring and I still have a really defined sound night after night after nifgt...

Sound good. Like everybody else said, can be noise, so a noise reduction unit can help a lot. For the price and a little work you can get any tone you like. I have to try new tubes in my unit.

I have combine this pre-amp with a efect proc.(Quadra) and BBE max. And I'm happy with what I hear. Also the big diference was my new Marchall 2x12. That really make diference in my tone. For the price, you can't go wrong with this pre-amp. I'm play diferent kind of music, so I need an amp can change tone easy, and midi is the way. I loking for more imputs to impruve my system, If you have any send an EMAIL at "melaopr@aol.com"

So far, I don't mave any complain.

I never contact them, so I have no idea hoe they are.

I've been plaing with this pre-amp for the last 3.5 years and eveyware I go I have a good imputs about my tone.